Lonely Shugo
by Shadow Quil
Summary: What if Haruno Sakura were born into the world of Shugo Chara? She has her own Charas, her own attitude and her own wishes. Saku-X-Many. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Shugo Chara, but all OCs are mine. SEQUEL IS UP
1. The Girl Who Is A Boy

Chapter One

Haruno Sakura sighed as she walked down the street, looking at all the boys who wore the same uniform as her. She found that, with her nervousness around human males, it was easier to avoid them when she dressed like them, therefore becoming a boy. That way, if you tell them to go away, they generally don't continue to hang around you. Something about 'male space' or whatever; she didn't understand it, but she was thankful for it.

She liked things that way – no one approached her and she didn't attempt to make any friends anyway. So, every morning she dressed in the boy's uniform and twisted up her long hair – that usually fell just below her hips – before pulling on a dark blue beanie to hide all of the pink locks. When dress like this, no one knew any better. To everyone that saw her as she was dressed, she was just a little boy going to school.

She past an alley just as a kid came running out – he was in the first grade, if she remembered correctly. The boy bumped into her and fell back, looking up to see who he had bumped. He began to shake uncontrollably when he saw who he had run into. The boy began to stutter out apologies, bowing and bowing again, but Sakura looked away from him and walked forwards, ignoring the strange boy completely; meanwhile, the boy sighed in relief at knowing he wouldn't be killed, stars appearing in his eyes.

"Wow! I've just bumped into the _Cool and Spicy_ Hinamori-sempai _and_ the _Cool and Mysterious_ Haruno-sempai! I'm so lucky!"

Sakura rolled her eyes when she heard him say that. It wasn't her fault that she got categorised as 'Cool and Mysterious' on her first day. She just wanted to make a point; 'leave me alone'. Too bad they took it as a dark, mysterious aura and continued to hang around her, though from a distance. Heck, she even had fangirls – well, they _did_ think she was a boy, due to her clothing.

The girl enjoyed the solitude that came from her attitude and being 'male' to others, but could deny missing the people from her old home; the ones who had known her best, and who had stuck with her through everything. Still, it was a new place and no one had made a move to prove wrong her suspicion that the town she had moved to was boring. To keep her gender a secret, she had gone so far as to make up an excuse with the teacher so that she could wear her hat during class.

"_I have a very sensitive scalp. Too much sun and it'll burn."_

The suckers actually bought it. So, no one knew of her real gender in the school and she liked it that way. It was just too bad that she _did_ want to get along better with people. It wasn't as if she was lonely (even though she kinda was), she just wanted people to include her sometimes. She would understand if they asked her to join them when they played and then stopped because she turned them down, but they didn't even try to include her at all.

She liked basketball and soccer, and also flower arranging and cooking, but everyone was too afraid of her to ask her to join in with their activities. If anyone even suggested inviting her to join them, the others in the group of children would gain fearful looks and stuttered out reasons why that was a bad idea, even if most of those reasons were just rumours. They never knew that she could hear them.

She sighed, seeing her school in the distance and shook her head.

Another boring day.

{-}

Sakura sat in her usual seat, listening to the whispers of people about Hinamori Amu and trying to ignore her own extensive group of gossip-mongers. It was truly annoying that these girls and boys seemed to have nothing better to do than to start rumours about her and Amu.

Just because neither of them tucked in their shirt and didn't talk much did not mean that they were dating foreign idols and had violent tendencies; in fact, Sakura had almost no real tendencies at all. She was rather calm when you got to know her, which no one bothered to do.

She played with the pencil sat on her desk and looked outside, seeing the clouds rolling slowly by and wishing she could be one of them.

{-}

"Haruno," her Landlord greeted from behind his desk as Sakura walked into the three-story apartment complex she lived in, "where's the rent? You're usually pretty prompt with handing it in, but you're two days late. If I don't get it by Friday, you're outta here, kid."

"Whatever," Sakura sighed, mostly ignoring the man. She climbed the stairs to apartment 7C – the seventh room on the third floor – and unlocked the door, pulling a small mahogany box out of her school bag and tucking it under her arm before throwing her school bag to the ground by the coat rack and hanging up her school blazer. The girl then took off her tie and hung it on the same peg as her blazer, making sure it didn't slide off.

She moved through the living room and opened the door to her room, looking around the small space with a fond smile. While the rest of the small apartment was plain and impersonal, with white walls, white furniture and a wooden floor, she had made her room her own in many ways. All it took was some paint, a brush and a lot of patients, as well as a trip to the local shop and a rummage through her old belongings.

The walls were icy blue and the carpet was white and soft, very comfortable beneath her bare feet. All across her walls was silver paint, spread in twisted designs that she had painted over the walls herself, using various stencils. On one wall was a collage of posters of her favourite bands, singers and actors, including a lot of pictures of her favourite actors, Oguri Shun and Matsumoto Jun. As well them, she also had a few photos of her and the small group of friends she had at her previous schools and homes.

She had a large bed with dark blue covers, black pillows and a black comforter, held up by a dark mahogany bed frame. Sat on the desk by her bed was a photo of a younger Sakura and an older man with dark brown hair and onyx-coloured eyes – they were sat on the steps that led up to Big Ben in London, each holding a small British flag and smiling. On the wall opposite her various posters and photographs was a large map of the world that had several red pins stuck on it, as well as a black string connecting the pins.

On one side of the map was a camera, hung by its strap on a nail. Along the wall above the camera were photos of the Russian Ballet, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids and many more attractions from around the world, all with a piece of string connecting the photos to the part of the world they are in. It was Sakura's future plan; to do as her father did and travel the world, taking pictures from her travels and meeting all kinds of people.

Sakura stepped forwards and gently placed the mahogany box on her chest of drawers and smiled softly, unclasping the lid. She opened it slowly and left her fingers slip inside, instantly moving across something cold and smooth. The girl pulled back her hand, the object grasped gently in her hand, and observed the small glass cherry blossom – the edges of the glass around the petals were tinted pink and the ornament itself was slightly lopsided.

It was something her father had crafted for her with minimal help when he had travelled to Rome a few years ago. She had kept it safe since he gave it to her when she was four years old and took it with her everywhere. He had gotten her the box from a street market in China when she was five, just one year later. It was his last gift to her before he decided to take her around the world with him when she was seven.

She sighed and stripped off her uniform, going to her closet and pulling out a pair of baggy jeans and a red tank top. Sakura, after putting on her clothes and folding her uniform, walked to her kitchen and turned on the oven, finding her dinner for the evening in the form of a home cooked omelette. She sighed as she gathered the ingredients. Typical.

{-}

Later that evening, Sakura was ready for bed. She looked out of her window and smiled, opening it and climbing onto the roof. The young girl sat on the dirty tiles in her black, baggy pyjamas, her long hair braided to keep it out of the way. She lay back, looking up at the stars and her face became sad as she lifted a finger and connected the stars that made up Orion's Belt.

"Why does no one want to play with me anymore?" she asked the sky. "I've always been like this, but at my old school people still liked me. They even cried when I left. But this place..."

}-{

"_Attention, everyone! Today is a very special day. We have two new transfer students joining us, both from different parts of Japan. Please welcome Hinamori Amu-san and Haruno Saku-kun," the teacher announced, allowing Amu, and Sakura to see and speak to the class they would be joining. Sakura noticed that Amu was panicking, but did nothing to help her._

"_Well...Nice to meet'cha," she greeted shakily, but everyone took it as a cool, loner personality. Sakura mentally rolled her eyes, seeing the internal panic the girl was going through. The class turned their attention to her and she frowned._

"_Whatever," Sakura dismissed, walking towards the empty seat in the back of the room, by the window. She looked up and saw everyone – even Hinamori Amu – staring at her with stars in their eyes. She glared at them and looked out of the window._

}-{

"...I miss you, Papa," she sighed, sitting up and placing her hand together in a prayer for her father. Another thought occurred to her and she closed her eyes tighter. "I know this may seem selfish, but I wish I could be the person I really want to be. I wish I could be more confident around people, especially boys, so that I don't feel so lonely any more. I wish I could seem more delicate and feminine, so that people aren't too scared of me to come near me. And I wish I could be stronger – strong enough to stand up for not only myself when I hear those rumours, but also for weaker people. Please, if anyone can hear me...please let me be the person I want to be."

She waited for a reply but, as she expected, received nothing more than a gust of cold wind. Sakura shook her head and carefully climbed back into her room, casting a glance at the photo on her desk and smiling before going to sleep.

{-}

"You have got to be kidding me," Sakura stared blankly as she lifted her covers and looked at the three eggs that lay there. "They didn't teach this in Health Class, that's for sure."

One was red and had a tartan-pattern with a thick solid ruby stripe around the middle and a pink broken heart on the front. Another was a blue tartan one that had a light blue stripe and a sapphire blue rose. The final egg was green tartan with a green stripe running around it and a dark and light green hypnotic swirl in the centre. She poked the green egg, feeling it's warmth and her eyes lit up slightly.

"They're warm. So, that must mean that something will actually hatch from these," she whispered, looking at the three eggs on her bed. She picked up the blue one and looked at it from all angles before shrugging when nothing happed and dropping it back on her bed. "Whatever; it's probably just a joke."

She got washed and dressed for school, twisting up her hair and pulling on her blue beanie before clipping a blue and orange Yin Yang pin on her jacket and grabbing a cinnamon bun from her bread bin. With the bun in between her teeth, Sakura ran to her room and scooped up her glass cherry blossom, placing in carefully in its box and closing the lid, clasping it as she carried it to her school bag and slid it inside, throwing the bag's strap over her shoulder.

Sakura then walked out of the door, leaving for school with her bag sitting comfortably on her hip. A few moments later, she walked robotically back into her apartment and went to her room, placing a blanket in her bag and settling the eggs gently on top of it. She starred at the strange items for a moment before shaking her head and walking out again, locking the door. She left the apartment complex, ignoring her Landlord's demands for the rent, and cast another glance at her bag.

{-}

When she got to school, she walked towards the entrance with a bored look on her face as she observed the whispering students. Her eyes became downcast for a moment as she heard a particularly nasty rumour about how she had beaten up a yakuza gang and became their leader. She really hated being known for violence, but there was no changing it after the day everyone named her 'Cool and Mysterious'. She believed that Hinamori Amu had it easier; she didn't have to hide her gender and the rumours about her being cold and vicious were far and few.

She scowled, holding her bag protectively. No one would take these eggs away from her, though. She would protect them, and provide better care for them than her father had ever done for her. Sakura's face softened, knowing that it wasn't her father's fault that she was alone all of the time. It was the glass cherry blossom that was a constant reminder for her – he was always thinking of her.

She sighed, her hand softly caressing her bag as she stepped forwards into the school. However, Sakura was not looking where she was going, and ended up bumping into Amu. Both girls – one in a skirt, the other in a disguise – looked at each other for a brief moment to see what had happened before they simultaneously reached and placed a hand on their bags.

"Hinamori-san," Sakura greeted once she was sure the eggs were okay. Amu nodded in reply.

"Haruno-kun," she greeted. The students around them gushed at their 'cool' aura for a moment until a loud noise caught their attention.

"It's them!" a girl squealed, pointing to a group of four students. Two were from Sakura's grade, if she remembered correctly, but from different classes, while another was in the grade below and the final was in the grade above. She shook her head slightly; she didn't care about the 'famous' students.

"The Seiyo Guardians are _so cool_!" another girl screamed as the four students came closer. Amu's question of who they were became background noise as Sakura stared at the oldest Guardian. His boyish charm reminded her greatly of one of the only two boys she had ever been able to socialise with. She turned away and opened her bag, reaching past the eggs and the blanket, to the bottom and touching the box she kept with her wherever she went to keep her going. Sakura closed the bag and stared at the sky.

"Not even paying attention to our explanation!"

"Just staring into the distance!"

"That's out perfect Haruno Saku-kun! Cool and Mysterious!"

These claims brought Sakura back to reality and she gave the girls a brief look before scoffing and turning away. She carried on walking until she was around the corner and checked that no one was watching her before she tapped her bag, feeling the eggs still whole inside. Sighing in relief, the girl thought back to what the students had said about her.

"No way. 'Cool and Mysterious' are just girlish fantasies. I'm just a 'nobody' after all," she sighed, feeling something in her bag move. She opened it and her eyes widened when she saw the red egg moving around. "No way! This can't be happening!" the girl growled, placing a hand on the egg and trying to hide it.

Hotori Tadase looked round and saw the two people – both from his year – looking distressed. As a Guardian, it was his job to help them, after all. Before he could approach them, the 'boy' quickly walked away, seeming just as calm and aloof as always, but something in the girl's bag caught his eye. He looked shocked and reached out to her.

Sakura stopped when she was further around the corner and looked at her eggs, poking the red one slightly. It didn't move and she sighed in relief, knowing that the last thing she wanted was for it to hatch while she was in school. That would be a true disaster! How would she explain to the teachers if some weird animal hatched out of a red, decorated egg?

"Would you not touch me like you know me...Shrimp?" she heard Amu say from inside the building and stifled a scoff.

"She so likes him," Sakura sighed, knowing that her character judgement was almost always right.

{-}

Sakura had been tuning out the assembly for as long as she could, but it was all just so boring. Honestly, who could have that much to talk about? She was just glad it was coming to an end. The only thing left was for the 'Prince' to ask if anyone had anything to add, and usually no one did. Then, they would go on to another topic, then another and another before finally they would whisk everyone in the hall off to their normal classes where they would pretty much forget everything that had been said.

"Alright. Now, if anyone has anything to add, please raise your hand."

'_Yeah, as if anyone would be stupid enough to –'_

"I do! I'm sorry about what I said! The truth is I like you, Prince!"

'_Moron.'_ Sakura rolled her eyes as she listened to Amu getting coldly rejected. Usually, the girl's Outer Character would come into play and she would brush the whole thing off, but Sakura frowned when she saw Amu running out of the room. _'She seems really upset. But, I could never just stand up and go after her.'_

"Just do it! Chara-Change! From a girl who wouldn't care about someone's feelings to a girl who would!" Sakura's eyes widened as she heard those words come from her bag and, before she could stop herself, a pink Broken Heart pin replaced her orange and blue Yin Yang pin and she was standing out of her seat, a glare etched on her face.

"Idiot! You could be a bit more sensitive to a girl's feelings! It takes a lot to confess to someone and it's just cruel to reject them so coldly!" she yelled, saying what she truly felt, before she too ran quickly out of the room to find Amu. _'What am I doing? I would never usually do something like this,'_ she thought, spotting the pink hair of the girl she was trying to find and running after her, only to land in a hole.

"Ouch!" yelled Amu when Sakura landed on top of her. "Look where you're going would you?" her Outer Character shouted before Amu could even see who it was that had fallen on her. Her eyes widened when she saw Sakura rubbing her head and standing up, looking out of the hole.

"Or you could look where _you're_ going. Who runs into a hole, anyway?" Sakura muttered, ignoring the fact that she had also run into the hole.

"Amu-chan!" a small voice called as a pink egg wriggled out of Amu's bag. Both of the girls looked at it and Sakura placed a hand over her own bag when she felt her red egg trying to get out. The pink egg bounced a few times before it came to float at eye-level to Amu, a lot above Sakura's head, the shorter girl noticed in annoyance.

"W-What?" Amu stuttered while Sakura looked at the egg in amazement. It began to crack as Sakura's red egg escaped from her bag and cracked around the middle as well. Both opened and the shells disappeared, leaving behind two very small girls.

Sakura noticed that the one who came from her egg had long black hair tied into a messy bun that spiked in all directions and red eyes, burning with all sorts of emotions. She was wearing white button-up shirt with the sleeves folded to her elbows and a red, silk tank top over it. She also wore a pleated red mini-skirt that cut off a few inches below the middle of her thigh, over sheer red tights and red leather shoes. On her head was a bright red ribbon with a pink broken-heart clip attached to it on the right side.

"What're you doing, Amu-chan?" the little pink girl that came from Amu's egg asked in a hyper voice, "Let's jump."

"J-Jump?" Amu repeated. Sakura just looked at her hatchling in curiosity.

"Okay, Saku-chan, we got the caring part done," she stated in a smooth, velvety voice, "and now we just need to get the heck outta here."

"How're we going to do that?" Sakura asked, not even bothering to question the existence of tiny people hatching out of eggs.

"We go with them, silly. It'll be easy," the girl smirked. "All we have to do is, wait a while."

"Chara-Change! From a girl who can't jump to a girl who can!" the pink girl cheered as the cross-clip in Amu's hair became a heart. Sakura's hatchling grinned slyly and held up her hand.

"Chara-Change! From a girl who wouldn't hitch a ride to a girl who would!"

"Hop...Step...Jump!" she called as Amu jumped into the air with pink wings on her ankles and wrists. Sakura was glad she was so light when her body acted on its own grabbed onto Amu's back. Amu began to scream and complain about the wings, but Sakura just watched the sky as they flew higher and higher. Her hatchling flew beside her with a smug look on her face.

"I'm just glad that I didn't come from the cry-baby you're hanging on to. I feel so sorry for any egg that has to put up with her screaming and her constant mood-swings," she sighed, flipping one of her bangs out of her face and using pink lip-gloss on her lips. They landed at the top of the construction tower and the wings disappeared as Amu sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness it's over," she breathed, placing a hand on her heart. Sakura, who was in front of her, merely shook her head slightly and reached up to tap the taller girl on the shoulder. "What is it?" she asked, looking down when Sakura pointed towards the ground. "AHHH! We're so high up!" the girl screamed, clutching onto Sakura tightly. "Help!"

"Get off me!" Sakura ordered, pushing Amu away and brushing off her uniform as Amu clung to the pole. "Now, explain. Who are you?" she asked quietly to the hatchling, making sure Amu didn't see her.

"I'm Katsumi. Your Shugo Chara," she winked, twirling around. "I'm who you want to be!" she giggled, flicking her hair back again.

"Who I want to be? You're kidding, right?" Sakura snorted, crossing her arms and turning away.

"H-Hey!" she gasped, not liking her owner ignoring her so soon, "If you don't acknowledge my existence, I'll disappear!" Katsumi stated in a 'cute' voice, pouting slightly.

"I acknowledge your existence; I merely do not want you around me," Sakura informed her in a toneless voice. Katsumi sweat-dropped.

"I knew you'd say that."

"Haruno-kun," Amu called out to her, still clutching the pole. Sakura quickly stuffed Katsumi into her bag and turned to face Amu.

"What?" she asked with a frown. Amu pointed behind her and Sakura looked up, seeing a High School student with cat ears on top of his head. "Cat ears? Are you kidding me?" Sakura bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else as the boy's tail twitched and he hummed. The cross-dressed girl's eyes widened slightly and she took a step back until she was almost leaning on the pole Amu was still clutching for her life.

"So, there really is a Chara-Bearer here? But which one of you is it?" he asked himself, looked between the girl and the 'boy'. He saw a pink Chara floating by the girl and smirked. "The girl, huh?" he said, stepping towards the two of them.

"Another weirdo," Amu asked herself, not noticing Sakura's slight smirk of amusement, "and this one has cat ears?"

"Apparently," Sakura sighed, trying to calm herself. Amu seemed like she needed more help at the moment, so Sakura placed her own shaking form between the Hinamori girl and the cat-eared 'weirdo'. He came closer until he was standing right in front of Sakura and he grinned slightly.

"Oh? Protecting the girl? Strange, considering she's actually taller than you anyway, little boy," he said with a laugh under his words. Sakura scowled at him as he sniffed the air above her. "So you have eggs too, huh? And there's even more with the girl, as well. My lucky day."

"They each have two more," a small cat-Chara stated as he popped up behind the boy's shoulder. Sakura's attention turned to him momentarily, but that was enough time for the boy to get between her and Amu.

"Amu-chan! Look out, this guy is after your –!" the pink Chara was cut off when the boy flicked her away.

"So, your name is Amu, huh?" he asked as he dug his hands into the girl's bag and pocket. Sakura turned sharply when she heard Amu's shriek and aimed a kick at his head, only to have him dodge and steal her bag.

"Hey!" Sakura growled, reaching to grab her bag back, but he was faster. The boy reached in and pulled out her two eggs before dropping the bag off of the side of the tower. Sakura watched it fall with widening eyes, about to jump after it, but Katsumi had escaped and held her back. Amu didn't notice the small Chara, but she did see the boy holding two eggs in each hand.

"Give them back, you egg thief!" the pink Chara demanded, having flown back after being flicked away. He sniffed Sakura's eggs and grinned.

"Looks like they're about to hatch," he stated.

"And we got the Humpty Lock, too," the Cat-Chara grinned, hugging the lock tightly. "Let's go, Ikuto," he said, turning and floating away with his owner following him. Sakura was still looking at her bag as it landed heavily on the ground. She flinched and looked away, glaring at the guy's retreating back in rage.

"You have no respect for other people at all, do you?" she ground out, her fists clenched. "Those eggs don't even belong to you, so..." she trailed off as he turned around and charged at him, "give them back!" Sakura yelled, reaching to grab her eggs, only to have all four drop out of his hands on different sides of the tower. She jumped off the rail to catch hers while Amu did the same, but Sakura's eggs were in the centre of the tower.

"Saku-chan! What're you doing? You can't fly like that other girl can!" Katsumi yelled, panicking, floating by Sakura as she caught the eggs and turned herself around so that her back was to the ground and the eggs wouldn't hit the bottom of the fall. She closed her eyes and waited for impact, only to see and bright flash of light and felt herself being caught in strong arms.

"What kind of idiot jumps off of a building?" a male voice asked her as she was placed on her feet on the ground. She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing the boy who had taken her eggs in the first place. Sakura stepped back and looked up, thinking of a reply.

"Well, technically, it's not a building yet," she stated, scowling at him when she heard him laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You are, obviously," Ikuto chuckled. "You're not even concerned that you almost became nothing more than a splat on the ground; a small one, at that."

"Well, I didn't, so there's no point in dwelling on what didn't happen," she told him, checking to see if her eggs were okay and at the same time keeping them away from the teenage boy.

"_Holy Crown_!" she heard someone yell from her right. Sakura turned to see the 'Prince' of Seiyo Elementary with a crown on his head, a sceptre in his hand and what looked like glowing orange jelly catching Amu as she fell. The 'jelly' disappeared in a flood of sparkles to show the blonde holding Amu in his arms while she held her eggs.

"Oh, it's you, Little King," Ikuto said as he appeared before them. Sakura tuned them out as she checked her eggs to see if they were okay. Neither had a crack in them and Katsumi seemed uninjured as well.

"Saku-chan, what about your bag?" Katsumi asked over a second call of 'Holy Crown', tugging on a strand of Sakura's hair that had come out of the hat as she fell; the girl absent-mindedly tucked it back under her hair before she paused, looking over to where Amu and the 'Prince' were talking.

Sakura ignored the fact she was interrupting Amu's dream moment when she caught sight of her bag. She froze before running towards it, and dug through the abused bag until she reached the bottom and pulled out a broken box made of wood, the lid hanging on by a single hinge as the other had been broken by the heavy landing. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw that the small glass cherry blossom inside of it had smashed, but she refused to cry.

"No," she whispered, picking up a larger piece and clutching it tightly until her hand bled. Sakura placed it carefully back into the broken box and slung her bag over her shoulder, picking up the box and holding it her hands, ignoring the blood flowing from her left palm. Amu stepped forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at the decorative mahogany box. Sakura shrugged off the hand and walked past the girl and the King's Chair. She continued down the street, ignoring the glance of the people and the worried look of the girl who sat in the Queen's Chair of the Guardians, who was obviously going to find the King's Chair and Amu.

Sakura was so concerned with getting home and seeing the extent of the damage to her glass cherry blossom that she didn't even notice the Blue Egg move.


	2. Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!

Chapter Two

Sakura stretched her arms over her head as she picked up her tie and wore it loosely around her neck. She turned to the side, checking to see if her appearance was acceptable, and she sighed, placing her hands on the back of her head when she caught sighed of Katsumi primping herself in the mirror. She shook her head, knowing that it wasn't a dream, and looked towards the box on her desk.

She stepped towards it and opened the lid, being careful not to snap the other hinge, and stared at the broken glass ornament sadly. There were few other items from her father in her possession, and this was especially important to her due to it being his last gift to her before their world-tour together. He had told her to treasure it, as it was one-of-a-kind and, although the world may be filled with a million other glass cherry blossoms, no other was made with his love as a gift for the most beautiful girl in the world.

On their world tour she had picked up fluent English – since it was spoken in quite a few places they stayed – and had learnt basic French, German, Spanish and Italian. She was still learning, but hoped to become fluent in every language spoken in the world, like her father was, so that she could travel without having to worry about communication. It was all a part of her plan to follow in her father's footsteps.

Giving a last look to the broken cherry blossom and casting a glance to the photo of her and her father on the desk, she finished getting ready for school.

{-}

Sakura walked to her classroom and saw Hinamori Amu standing outside with a glum look on her face. She was quick to stop Katsumi from Chara-Changing her and approached the depressed girl on her own. Thinking of what to say, Sakura stepped up to the taller girl and tapped a finger gently on her shoulder, tilting her head as Amu turned around. The golden-eyed girl put up her Outer Character as she turned, but froze in fear when she saw the 'scary' Haruno Saku behind her.

"W-What?" she asked, gulping. Sakura didn't attempt to smile or do anything out of her character, but merely looked Amu in the eyes.

"It was brave of you...to announce your feelings in front of all those people yesterday, even if you did run away," Sakura told her, watching shock take hold of Amu's face. "I don't think any less of you because of it. In fact, I used to think nothing of you until then, but now I see you as an inspiration to everyone struggling with feelings of affection."

"So, you like someone, too?" Amu asked in awe with a blush on her face.

"Not really," Sakura deadpanned, walked past the fallen Amu and entering the classroom. "But, if I did...I don't think I would be brave enough to do what you did and then show my face after getting rejected," she stated, not noticing that she had made Amu feel worse. As she sat down, Katsumi laughed.

"I think you made her even less likely to come inside the classroom now," the red-eyed Chara grinned.

"Really?" asked Sakura, clueless as ever, tilting her head and ignoring the girls who squealed at the cute expression. The room went quiet as Amu entered and sat at her desk, a distressed expression attached to her face. Sakura was about to approach her when a group of girls did first, praising her and inspiring her not to give up. Sakura, who was as alone and avoided as ever, couldn't help but suddenly feel a little jealous of Amu.

"Saku-chan..." Katsumi said sadly when she noticed the jealous, lonely expression on her master's face. She looked towards the suddenly popular Amu and sighed, wishing that Sakura could at least have one friend.

The door to the classroom opened and the first thing Sakura noticed was a red cape, then long dark purple hair tied with a red rope that had cherry blossoms as decoration on each end. The Queen's Chair – Sakura still didn't know the names of the Guardians – stepped into the room in a very noble way, with her head held high and her steps calm and confident, until she reached Hinamori Amu's desk. Sakura scowled, seeing that Amu had even caught the attention of the most popular people in the school, but then sighed.

"I guess only one of us can be accepted at a time," she shrugged, not showing how much she wished she was Amu. Not only because she was gaining friends, but also due to the fact Amu could cope around people enough to at least _dress_ like herself while Sakura was so insecure around people her own age that she had to dress like a boy. After passing an envelope and a message along to Amu, the graceful girl walked to Sakura's desk, holding another envelope.

"The Guardians would also like to invite you for a tea party after school, Haruno-kun. So please come to the Royal Garden. We'll be waiting for you," she smiled as she left the room through the same door she came in. Sakura watched her go, noticing that there was something different about her, but not knowing quite what it was. She shook her head, turning to look out of the window as the door closed and ignoring the girls giggling about how she and Amu would become the next Guardians.

Sakura looked down at the envelope and tutted, placing it in her bag with no intent to actually attend.

{-}

The cross-dressing girl watched as one of her classmates completed an easy run of the high jump, rolling her eyes when the next person tripped over and had to run again. She lay back on the ground and sighed, looking at the sky as she always did when she had the time. Katsumi had managed to change into a bathing suit and was lying next to her, letting her skin feel the rays of the sun as Sakura shook her head.

"That's bad for you," she told her Chara. Katsumi grinned and floated up, spinning around quickly as her bathing suit became her normal clothing. Sakura rolled over onto her side and sat up when she heard someone choke on a pained gasp. She looked over to the third grade class, who were performing on the horizontal bar. One of the kids, the one who had bumped into her the day before, had fallen off.

The teacher had checked to see if the kid was okay and then proceeded to ask his class if anyone would like to demonstrate the correct way to swing on the bar, but Sakura couldn't tell from that distance if he wanted them to do it forwards or backwards. When no one raised their hands, he looked over to the fifth graders – Sakura's class – and called over to their teacher.

"Could I trouble one of you fifth graders to demonstrate a backwards spin on the bar for me?" he asked. Sakura watched as Amu's new friends asked her if she could do it, and she looked as though she would turn them down. The girl had to stifle a laugh when the pink hatchling Chara-Changed with her and Amu ran at the bar.

"Didn't he say_ backwards_?" Sakura whispered to Katsumi. The Chara laughed quietly and Sakura stood up.

"W-What're you doing?" Katsumi asked, her mouth falling open.

"Saving a fellow 'Cool' student from the humiliation she'll feel later by having a go on the horizontal bar. I'm pretty good at it, myself," she smiled, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt and pulling off her tie. Sakura, since she never took part in P.E., never saw the point in getting changed into the gym uniform.

"What is he doing?"

"Is Haruno-kun going to do a backwards turn?"

"I've never even seen him run!"

Sakura ignored the whispers of her classmates and those of the third graders as well, and took hold of the bar. Amu, who had fallen over due to dizziness, watched in awe as Sakura lifted herself on the bar and proceeded to demonstrate a proper – albeit a little wobbly – backwards spin, ending it by slowing down and releasing the bar, shakily landing on her toes with her arms out. Everyone clapped – she wasn't great, but she hadn't fallen – and she sighed, helping Amu up before walking back to Katsumi.

Due to all the commotion, Sakura didn't notice her Blue egg hatching. Seeing how sporty and almost boy-like Sakura was, the blue eyes that showed in the gap of the egg looked away and the egg closed, jumping away from the hat-wearing girl and her red Chara.

{-}

Sakura sat by the window in her art classroom, a sketch pad resting on her knees as she drew the sky. No one had wanted to be her partner, so the teacher said she could draw whatever she wanted. Sakura didn't mind; it was better than having to put up with someone like Yamabuki Saya. She actually liked art, even if she couldn't draw anything more than lollypop trees and stick-men.

As with most people in her class, Sakura couldn't draw very well, but she was good at drawing clouds after a friend of her in her previous home had sat with her and taught her to sketch the sky and basic people – though she had gotten better at clothes and hair, she failed at faces.

Something in the window caught her eye and Sakura looked up, seeing a Blue Chara with a sketchpad. At first she wondered if it was hers – she had noticed her Blue egg had gone missing and was planning to look for it after school, if Katsumi didn't find it first. She told Katsumi to search the school while she was in class and during lunch and after school she would help. However, Sakura then remembered that Katsumi had told her that Shugo Charas are projections of who you want to be, and Sakura never even considered becoming an artist.

"Must be Amu's," she shrugged, smirking when Amu ran out of the room, claiming she needed to use the bathroom. Everyone was too busy admiring her drawing to notice, though. Sakura shrugged, not caring what Amu did as long as it wasn't dangerous.

She rolled her pencil in her hand and finished her drawing, leaving it on the teacher's desk as she walked out of the room. Sakura made her way to the courtyard, hiding behind a wall when Amu ran by, chasing her Chara. The girl frowned, seeing another Blue Chara not far off. She saw Katsumi standing next to her, waving, and approached them. The Chara turned to Sakura and curtsied politely.

"I am Setsuko, you're second Shugo Chara. It is a pleasure to meet you, Haruno Saku-chan," she greeted eloquently.

Setsuko, like Katsumi, black hair, but rather than red, she had bright blue eyes that matched her egg and showed a serene, calm gaze that Katsumi and Sakura were both incapable of. Unlike Katsumi, however, her hair was tied in pigtails on either side of her head, just at the ends of her headband, and was curled into tight ringlets that shone, not a single hair out of place from her fringe to the ends of her curls.

She wore a power blue dress with white frills at the bottom to fluff out the dress, as well as white bows on the waist and one white bow at the lacy collar, which ended at the base of her neck. On her feet she wore sheer white stockings and shiny blue Mary-Jane's. She had loose black fishnet sleeves that contrasted with her light appearance and in her hair she had a light blue Lolita headband with white lace in the centre and surrounding the edges. On the right of the headband was a sapphire blue rose.

"Setsuko ran away when she saw you because she's your inner desire to be more delicate and feminine. When she saw how you dress, she thought that you didn't want that at all, but after I explained _why_ you wear the boys' uniform, she agreed that it was all a misunderstanding," Katsumi grinned. "Isn't that right, Setsuko?"

"Indeed," Setsuko nodded, talking in a very soft voice. Sakura smiled slightly, believing that this Chara was almost exactly the person she wished she could be sometimes.

"Looks like this Seiyo Elementary School is a pretty fun place," she heard a man say, so she turned to see a dark figure leaning on a tree.

"Weird," she hummed as he smirked, chuckling. Raising a brow, Sakura shrugged and walked to her next class.

{-}

Ikuto was laying on the hill with his violin beside him, Yoru laying on the white case. The high school boy was thinking about the two people he had met the day before, the Amu-girl and the boy who was almost a pancake. "The Humpty Lock responded to the girl," he muttered, remembering her Chara Nari when she held the Lock. His thoughts then trailed to the strange boy.

"Who were they, anyway? I've never heard of a person with three eggs, and yet now there are two of them – nya!" Yoru stated. Ikuto grunted in agreement.

"There was something strange about that boy."

{-}

Sakura gathered up her belongings and watched as Amu did the same. She remembered the invitation to the Royal Garden and frowned, not wanting to step near the place. Being around the Guardians was not something she planned on doing and accepting the invitation would only encourage them. If she turned up then she might have to start...socialising. While she wanted friends, she did not want lots of attention.

"Are you not going to prepare yourself for the tea party?" Setsuko enquired softly, seeing the invitation. Sakura looked at her for a moment – she seemed like the type who would attend a tea party at all costs – but shook her head.

"No. It's not my thing, really," she informed the Chara, who nodded in acceptance of the answer. "Although, it would be polite to let them know I'm not going, so I'll tell Hinamori-san."

"Alright," Setsuko smiled, happy that her owner was well-mannered enough to do so. She watched with Katsumi from beside Sakura's bag on her desk as the Haruno girl approached Amu.

"Hinamori-san," she called, waiting for Amu to turn around, "would you pass on to the Guardians that I will _not_ be attending their tea party?" she asked her fellow pinkette as the class began to whisper about how she was turning down the offer to become a Guardian before it was even given to her and also about how cool it was that she didn't care.

"O-Okay," Amu nodded.

"Thank you," Sakura sighed, walking back to her desk and picking up her bag as Setsuko and Katsumi settled inside their eggs, next to the green one.

{-}

The pinkette sighed, leaving the fourth grade classroom. Her knees hurt from scrubbing the floor, but she had earned a small amount of money from the cleaning staff for helping out. That was how she paid her rent. With her father in a different country every month, she had offered to pay for her own rent, clothes, food and such while her father paid for her education through postal payments of checks every term and sent her a little money for books and school trips.

In order to pay for all of it, she not only had two part-time jobs, but also helped the cleaners for a small sum of money once a week. One of her jobs was working in an ice cream parlour on Saturday and the other was a job for a cleaning agency that she did on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm till 8:30pm after school. Tuesday was when she cleaned the fourth and fifth grade classrooms, though sometimes she chose not to, and she used Thursday and Sunday for relaxing.

She took out the bottom ribbon of her braid and shook out her hair so that it sat in a ponytail, knowing that even if someone saw her, they wouldn't recognise her. Sakura had changed into a pair of black shorts and a tight red shirt while she was cleaning so that her uniform didn't get dirty from the dust and dirt.

The girl had also braided her hair – it was more comfortable that keeping her hat on, after all. She went to the door and pulled on a pair of black, soft-leather boots to walk home it, holding her school-bag and also a backpack with her uniform and school shoes in it.

Sakura heard someone yelp in pain and looked towards the sports grounds, seeing the boy from earlier trying and failing with the horizontal bar. She wanted to help him, but was too anti-social to even approach the boy. Looking around for someone to aid him in his attempts, Sakura spotted a very familiar face and walked over to her.

"I'm fine with being normal! Normal is good!" Sakura heard Amu say in a stubborn tone.

"Really?" scoffed Sakura loudly from in front of the girl. Amu looked up with a frown. "You seem pretty abnormal to me."

"What're you talking about? Who are you, anyway?" asked Amu, her Outer Character showing. Sakura tilted her head, her ponytail falling over her shoulder and she realised why Amu didn't recognise her. She was dressed like a girl right now, after all.

"Oh...I'm Sakura," she introduced, stating only her first name. "You're Hinamori Amu, right?"

"How do you know who I am?" Amu asked, her face showing that she believed this was a scary encounter.

"I see you during school, and I've heard the rumours. After meeting you now, I really don't think any of them are true," she smiled, deciding that if Amu didn't know who she was, then she didn't need to be as cold as usual.

"What're you talking about?" the girl asked, genuinely confused. Sakura smiled slightly.

"You're actually kind, under that outer character of yours," she said mysteriously. "Why not show some of that kindness to others sometime?" the girl suggested, leaving Amu to ponder what she said. Really, she just wanted Amu to pay attention to the boy. Seeing Amu stand up and walk forwards, she smiled slightly.

The girl was about to go home, but a sense of danger struck her and she frowned, looking towards Amu and the boy again. They seemed fine, but Sakura got the feeling that she should stick around just in case. She walked to a tree close to them and hid behind it, watching over the two so that she could help if something happened.

Her head perked up when she felt a negative aura in the air as the boy was talking to Amu about his dream and not a moment after he had finished saying that his dream was useless, he gained a blank look in his eye. Sakura was about to rush forwards when her two Shugo Chara held her back. She turned sharply to look at them and grit her teeth.

"What are you doing? I need to help him!" Sakura told them, only to have both girls shake their heads.

"What can you do?" Katsumi asked, looking over to the boy, who now had a black egg marked with a white 'X' floating next to him.

"What is that?" Sakura asked quietly, staring at it. "He seriously needs help. I have to do something!_ I don't want to be useless_!" she yelled, not noticing that her body was glowing. Katsumi felt a tug at her heart and the next thing she knew, she was in her egg, transforming with Sakura.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Eh?" Sakura freaked, looking down at herself. "This is not my style. This looks like something that –!"

"– I would wear?" Katsumi finished from inside her. "You just transformed with me, silly! We are now Lonely Heart! How cool is that?"

"U-Umm..."

"Now we can help that boy!" the girl added. Sakura let her questions and embarrassment over the outfit fall out of her mind as she ran towards the boy, who was standing behind the egg, controlling it as it fought Amu's Chara Nari; another heart-based one, Sakura noted with a raised brow.

"Ah! Another cute sempai!" the boy stated, spotting Sakura. "You think I'm worthless too!" he accused, sending an attack towards her. Sakura didn't know what to do, so she fell back on her instincts and training.

"Saku-chan!" yelled Katsumi from inside Sakura as the pinkette waited for the right moment to dodge. She waited and then jumped up at the last moment, flipping over and landing on her toes. She then charged at the boy, going to tackle him, but his X-Egg attacked her again and she flew back.

"Are you okay?" Amu called over to her. Sakura lifted herself from the ground and nodded to Amu, who sighed in relief. Lonely Heart got an idea and ran over to the other girl, stopping when she was close enough to whisper to her. Sakura sighed when she realised that even in the slightly heeled shoes she was still significantly shorter than Amu.

"My name is Lonely Heart. Listen, I have a plan," she stated, wanting to get Amu's trust so that she followed through with the plan.

"Eh? Oh, I'm Amulet Heart," she replied. "What's the plan?"

"I'll distract the boy and separate him from the egg. When I've done that, the egg should become confused. It can't do anything without the kid to control it, so it should be easy to neutralise," she stated, looking behind Amu and seeing the Guardians running towards them.

"Wow! A Chara Nari! No, two of them!" the youngest of the Guardians said in excitement while the other three were quick enough to wonder who the second one was, since they knew Amulet Heart was Amu and the only other person they knew of who had a Shugo Chara was a boy.

"Impossible!" the egg repeated over and over again as it attacked Amu and Sakura.

"Do you know the plan?" Sakura asked, blocking the attack with her arms as she waited for the reply. Amu nodded and Sakura smirked, springing into action as soon as she had confirmation.

"Saku-chan!" called her Chara, "You have weapons!" Katsumi told her.

"I do?"

"Yeah!" she informed Sakura. "Just say 'Heart Kama'!"

"Heart Kama!" the girl called, holding out her hands as two hand-held axes appeared in them. They each had a pink broken heart were the black blade attached to the red handle. She clutched them tightly with a grin and twirled them in front of her, swinging them around her hands. She swung the Kama harshly as red slashes met the purple winds the egg was giving off and cancelled them out. However, since Sakura had two Kama, the slash from the second one hit the egg away from the boy.

"Wow," Amu said in awe.

"Don't just stand there, Amulet Heart!" yelled Sakura, tackling the boy to the ground and covering his eyes. Now that the boy couldn't see anything, the egg couldn't be directed. Sakura watched as Amu used a technique called 'Open Heart' to purify the egg and stood from the boy as it settled back into his heart.

"That was so cool!" Amulet Heart cheered. Sakura glanced at her and smiled, waving as her Kama disappeared. She then stood and ran away until she was behind the tree she had hidden behind previously. Katsumi flew out of her heart and Sakura returned to normal before running away again, leaving the school grounds with a wide smile.

She laughed as she ran, not noticing her green egg moving inside her bag.


	3. She Knows Where You Live

Chapter Three

Sakura was running late – _running_ being the key term. She had gotten dressed and preformed her morning rituals as usual, only to glance at the time on the way out and discover that Katsumi had re-set the alarm because she thought Sakura was cranky from not sleeping enough. Setsuko wanted to stay in the house and clean up a little, but Katsumi was determined to go to school again, so Sakura had made her too dress like a boy.

Katsumi was, against her will, wearing a tight red shirt, a pair of baggy red combat trousers, red trainers and a red shawl over her shoulders, round her neck. On her head – covering all of her hair – was a red beanie that had her broken heart clip attached to it. She looked at herself in the mirror and shrugged, knowing it could have looked worse.

The pinkette paused just before she ran out of the house and moved back to her bedroom, placing a loving hand on the broken wooden box, knowing that the smashed cherry blossom inside was no better. Sighing and closing her eyes, she turned away from it and gestured for Katsumi to follow her as the two left the apartment building.

"Shut up!" Sakura heard someone yell from across the street. She looked over and saw Hinamori Amu walking to school at a leisurely pace, her two Charas annoying her to death as she tried to focus. Smirking, Sakura crossed the road and came up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Good morning, Hinamori-san," she greeted, offering Amu nothing more than a blank face from the much shorter girl.

"M-Morning, Haruno-kun," Amu replied, gulping at the proximity between her and the scariest pupil in the school. The two walked to school together and Amu, from one Chara bearer to another, told her about the mysterious 'Lonely Heart' that had shown up and helped her fight an X Egg the previous day. Sakura listened intently; mentally, she was smirking at the fact that no one knew it was her.

{-}

As the two girls walked up the stairs to their classroom, they ignored everyone in favour of talked to each other – with a nervous Amu doing most of the talking and Sakura just nodding at the comments she made. They past Amu's number one fan, the kid they saved yesterday, who was crying about how the 'Cool and Mysterious' student snatched his Amu away. After they heard that comment, the two split up and entered the classroom separately to avoid any more rumours about them flying around.

As soon as Amu entered the classroom, her new friends flocked to her, asking her about the Guardians and saying that it was so cool how she turned them all down and refused to join. The story had been exaggerated greatly, someone even saying that she had to beat them all up to get out of there when they began to threaten her with bad tea and stale cake.

Sakura entered the room and took her usual seat, again just staring at the cloud as Katsumi complained about how she would get hat-hair. She was ignored completely, but didn't try too hard to get Sakura's attention and just decided to go and practice her 'man-voice' with Miki and Ran, who's names she had learnt on the way to school. Sakura watched her leave, but went back to watching the sky when she saw that her Chara was only talking to Amu-Pink and Amu-Blue.

Seeing the three of them reminded her of her third and final egg, the green one, and frowned. It hadn't moved at all and she was beginning to worry that it might never hatch, but Setsuko – who stayed home to watch the egg – had assured her that the egg would hatch in its own time and it might be minutes or months or more until she meets her new Shugo Chara. It hadn't exactly calmed her nerves, but Sakura wasn't as worried about the egg as she was before.

{-}

Sakura watched as the Queen's Chair approached Amu, trying to lure her into joining the Guardians with the offer of being her best friend and giving her pictures of a sleepy King's Chair, but Amu-Pink and Amu-Blue manage to snap Amu back into her normal state of mind. Sakura turned away from them, but overheard the word 'baking' and turned back. This caught the attention of several of her classmates who were leaving school – Amu included – but she didn't care. Her Chara also looked at her, seeing that her eyes had lit up at the idea of cooking.

"Hm; Haruno-kun, are you interested in joining us?" the Queen's Chair asked with a smile, trying to lure the other Chara Bearer into the Guardians as well by playing on their apparent likes – Sakura's being cooking and Amu's being Tadase.

"No, thank you," Sakura rejected, turning away and placing her hand on her palm.

"Wah, Haruno-kun is so cool!"

"Cool _and_ Mysterious!"

"He'll never be lured into the Guardians!"

She sighed, her eyes saddening as more gossip about her was spread around the room. The Queen's Chair noticed and made a note to approach the 'boy' at a later date when 'he' was alone. But for now, she had to set up a time to meet with Amu so they could bake some 'please date me' sweets.

{-}

Sakura – tonight being Thursday, her night off – was able to smile as she entered her kitchen, dressed in a pair of blue denim shorts and a too-large black T-Shirt. She reached over and picked up her light blue, frilly apron and tied up her hair with the blue ribbon in the pocket. So she wasn't baking with the Queen's Chair and the 'Cool and Spicy' student; she preferred baking alone, anyway. Sakura flew around her kitchen, gathering oil, dark chocolate, unsalted Butter, 6 Eggs and caster sugar. She laid them out on the island counter and then proceeded to gatherMascarpone, icing sugar, double cream and looked in her fruit bowl for passion fruits, but didn't find any.

"I'll have to go get some," she decided, taking off her apron and grabbing her coat. "You guys wait here. I'll be back soon, so just watch the egg," Sakura told Katsumi and Setsuko. They nodded and she left the apartment, running down the stairs as quickly as she could.

The girl made her way to a grocer's and looked around the fruit aisle, finding what she was looking for quickly. Just as she turned around, Sakura bumped into someone and the five fruits she was carrying fell to the ground. She looked at the fallen fruit in dismay, seeing that one of them had broken open and now she would not only have to pay for it, but also another some to replace it.

"S-Sorry," she heard someone stuttered from above her. Sakura looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the Queen's chair. "I was in a hurry to find fruit and I guess I didn't see you. Oh no, now the passion fruit is broken. I can pay for it, if you want."

"Oh, no; it's fine," Sakura said quickly, picking up the fruit and taking another one to the counter to pay. She handed over the money and took her fruit, leaving the shop before the Queen's Chair could say anything. The girl arrived back home and threw the broken fruit away, placing two in her fruit bowl and the other three on the counter. She then took off her coat and tied her apron around her.

Sakura preheated the oven to 180°C and greased the base and sides of a round cake tin before lining with greaseproof paper. She then cut up some of the chocolate and melted it with butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. As she left it to melt, she cracked open the eggs and separated the whites from the yolks, before whisking the yellow centre with two tablespoons of sugar until the mixture was pale and light.

She checked the chocolate and smiled slightly when she saw that it was melted perfectly. Setsuko helped her carefully lift the bowl of melted chocolate while Katsumi weighted out more sugar. The Lolita Chara and her master stirred in the cooled melted chocolate to the yolks and Sakura left Setsuko to continue the task as she whipped the whites of the eggs until they resemble soft peaks. She showed Katsumi how to gradually whisk in the remaining sugar and the Red Chara was more than happy to try it on her own.

Sakura allowed her Charas to take a break as she stirred in one-third of the whites into the chocolate mixture, soon followed by the remainder. She then transferred the uncooked cake mixture into the tin and baked for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven, until just firm to the touch. She took the cake out and left it to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out and transferring to a wire rack.

As it continued to cool, Sakura gathered the Mascarpone, icing sugar, double cream and passion fruits to make a passion fruit mousse to serve with the chocolate cake – a trick for taste and originality of her dish she had picked up while in France. She scooped the pulp out of the three fruits and beat together all of the ingredients after measuring out the correct amounts. Once it was done, Sakura put it in the fridge to set and took off her apron.

"Is the cake ready, Saku-chan?" Katsumi asked with a grin as she looked at the circle of chocolate goodness. Sakura shook her head and the Chara pouted, but voted for waiting until the mousse set. Setsuko was happy to drink some tea, which she had to do out of a cup larger than herself. Sakura made a note to buy some cups that they could use.

"I can't believe it!" a gruff voice yelled as the green egg floated into the air above Sakura. She looked at her egg in shock as it cracked in two and the halves disappeared. "My owner is some frilly little girl? I wanted someone tough!"

"Frilly? I know you didn't call me frilly!" Sakura scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm Mari, your third Chara. I'm here because _someone_ wants to get over her usual pacifist-nature and use the martial arts training she received," Mari announced. "Are you _really_ expecting me to believe a girl who _bakes_ could have gotten a Chara like me?"

"Well, you'd better believe it, because here you are!" Sakura said with a glare, which Mari mirrored. After a moment of glaring at each other, Mari grinned and stuck up her thumb.

"Approved!" she announced as Sakura got a better look at her.

Mari's hair was also dark, like the others, and tied in two spiky ponytails on either side of her head, each flicking in all directions – never tamed. Around her head was a pair of goggles with hypnotic green swirls on the lenses and around her neck was a green compass. She wore a green top that had straps that crossed over in the front at tied behind her neck. Her legs were covered with rainbow socks that reached her knees and chunky green boots that ended just before, and she wore green short-shorts. Her arms were covered with dark and light green striped arm-socks and light green bangles and her eyes were green, like Sakura's, only a darker shade and filled with determination and focus.

"So, Mari, right?" Sakura asked, receiving a nod and a grin.

"Yep, I'm here to help you stand up for yourself and those too weak to help themselves," Mari stated, flexing her arms. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked to the fridge to check on her mousse.

"And, for the record, just because I like baking, doesn't mean I can't fight, you got that, Mari?"

"Got it!" she winked.

{-}

Ikuto and Yoru were wandering around town, eating cookies. The boy was thinking about the dessert he had broken when trying to steal Amu's third egg and how he should make up for it, but didn't know how. He past a candy shop and shrugged, walking in and buying whatever looked good before walking out again with the bag. He looked up at his Chara and blinked when he saw Yoru looking around as if trying to find someone.

"Yoru, what is it?" Ikuto asked his Chara.

"I sense a Shugo Chara. Three of them, like that Amu girl has, but the presence is different!" Yoru told him. Ikuto's thoughts immediately went to the boy he had saved from becoming a part of the construction works.

"Where?" he asked, waiting for Yoru's reply. The Chara flew up in the air and pointed to a nearby apartment complex. Ikuto grinned.

{-}

"Hey! You can't just waltz in here like you own the place, kid!" the landlord yelled as a High School student in a hoodie and jeans walked into his apartment complex. Ikuto, who had told Yoru to go ahead and find the apartment, stared at the man and remained quiet until his Chara came back.

"Apartment 7C, Ikuto!" gleefully, Yoru told him. Ikuto smirked and nodded to the landlord.

"I'm visiting a friend of mine in 7C," he stated, walking up the stairs, following Yoru. He came to the apartment and knocked on the door, hearing someone running around inside. The door opened and he saw the bright green eyes of the kid he had rescued.

"You again; the Cosplay Cat guy!" he yelled, pointing a finger at Ikuto. The older boy sweat-dropped and sighed, pushing the door open further and letting himself him, whistling.

"Nice place," he commented, sniffing the air. "You bake?" Ikuto asked, seeing the boy's cheeks turn red.

"So what?" he grunted, stepping away from Ikuto as he stepped further into the apartment. "What're you doing? Yet out!"

"Chara-Change; from a pacifist to a kid who isn't afraid to throw a punch!" he heard someone yell from the kitchen. Ikuto looked round in just enough time to dodge a kick to the face and he jumped up to avoid a sweep-kick. He smirked as he caught the fist that went at his jaw, but that smirk dropped as the 'boy' kicked his knee and flipped him over his shoulder.

"Chara-Change!" cried Yoru as cat ear appeared on Ikuto's head and the boy twisted in the air and landed on his feet. The younger of the two grit 'his' teeth, but the angry expression on his face relaxed when the Green Swirl badge on his shirt returned to its normal Yin Yang. He immediately let go of Ikuto and jumped away.

"So, I see your second egg hatched, as well as the third," Ikuto commented, smirking at her. "Since we really have nothing to fight about...I'll trade you a pack of chocolate chip cookies for a slice of cake."

{-}

Ikuto had given her the cookies, taken his slice of cake and left. Sakura sighed, glad that her cover hadn't been blown by a High School student with personal-space issues. She was sort of glad that Mari Chara-Changed with her when she did, since that seemed to discourage Ikuto from getting too close. She sighed in remembrance of what he had said just before he left.

"_You're interesting, kid, so I'll stop by tomorrow, too."_

He wore the biggest smirk she had ever seen as he said that, but she was glad that he at least had enough restraint to stop himself from wandering around her flat while he was there. Unfortunately, she knew that he would keep his promise and turn up the following day after school – and Sakura couldn't stop him, since she had work. Sighing, Sakura walked to her bedroom and changed from her tee and shorts into a pair of baggy black jeans and a baggy red shirt with long sleeves. She pulled a black body-warmer over the top of it and slipped on a pair of black and red trainers.

"Come on, guys. We're going for a walk," Sakura told her Charas. All three spun around and changed into similar outfits, comprising of a tight shirt, a pair of baggy combat trousers, trainers and a shawl over their shoulders, round their necks, all in their own colours; red, blue and green. On their heads – covering all of their hair, which was especially hard for Setsuko – they each had a beanie in their colour with their symbol – a broken heart, a blue rose and a green swirl – attached to it on the side.

Sakura looked over the three of them and nodded – they looked as close to male as they were going it get. She pulled on a black beanie and a pair of black, fingerless gloves and was about to leave when she thought of the cake. Sakura knew that, even with her three Charas, there was no way they could eat the whole cake and the mousse, and there was no chance of her giving Ikuto any more of it. So, she placed it in a box with the mousse and decided that she would just give it to the bakery.

As she walked down the street, she heard someone running towards her and turned around, seeing Hinamori Amu. The other pink haired girl stopped when she was close to the shorter girl and breathed deeply while her Shugo Charas asked if she was alright. Sakura noticed that Amu's green egg had also hatched and she smiled slightly – the Green-Amu looked like the cooking-type. What a coincidence.

"Is there something you wanted, Hinamori-san?" Sakura asked blankly, tilting her head. Amu smiled and rubbed her neck nervously.

"W-Well...I was wondering if I could ask for your help. You see, I made some cookies for Tadase-kun and I wrapped them up with a really embarrassing note, because Ran Chara-Changed with me. So, I made a new wrapping with no note, but I gave Tadase-kun the wrong one," she explained in one breath. Sakura blinked.

"What does this have to do with me?" she questioned.

"You seem like someone who'd be good at sneaking into houses," Amu confessed with a nervous laugh when Sakura glared at her. The cross-dressing girl sighed slightly and rubbed her eyes.

"Fine; you tell me where he lives and I'll get you inside," she suggested. Amu nodded happily and led the way to the King's Chair's house.

{-}

Sakura held onto a loose brick and pushed herself silently onto the top of the wall around the King's Chair's home, offering her hand to Amu. The girl took it and was pulled up next to Sakura, who gestured for Amu to get down from the wall first. Amu shakily tried to ease herself off of the wall, but ended up falling flat on her face. Sakura rolled her eyes and jumped, landing on her feet gracefully while Amu looked at her in awe.

"You really _are_ good at breaking into people's homes," Amu stated.

"Careful. I know where you live," Sakura said darkly, leading the way as they slunk around behind the bushes. The girl gulped and followed her, making sure to not offend the scary 'boy' again.

"Okay, no matter what, we have to take back the cookies before the Prince opens them," Amu told her. Sakura gave Amu a look and scoffed.

"Isn't that stealing?"

"No!" she denied as she slowly crawled to the house and slid under the overlap of the raised platform. Sakura rolled her eyes and followed Amu, stopping when the girl paused. "A boy's room..." she trailed off.

"Oh, grow up, Hinamori-san!" Sakura growled, over taking her and leading the way to the room on the end, which Amu had said was the King's Chair's. They climbed onto the raised platform and Amu carefully slid the door open, instantly spotting the Royal Cape, which confirmed whose room it was. Sakura pushed her out of the way and stepped inside the room, careful to balance the backpack holding her cake.

"It looks curious," Green-Amu commented as they followed Sakura into the room, looking around. Amu spotted the bag with her cookies in it on the desk and grinned.

"The cookies!" she cheered, catching Sakura's attention. Sakura had casually sat on Tadase's bed, watching Amu.

'_This plan is going to crash and burn in three...two...one...'_

"What're you doing in here?" a voice called from behind Amu. Sakura smirked, closing her eyes.

'_I knew it,'_ she hummed mentally as her Shugo Charas giggled amongst themselves. Amu turned slowly and saw the King's Chair's Chara, sitting on a mini-throne that was perched on a chair.

"You people are trespassing," he stated calmly, observing the six girls as if they were below him.

"The Prince's Shugo Chara?" asked Amu, looking at him and recognising him from when she had seen the King's Chair. Sakura watched the exchange in excitement, knowing that she too was included in the people trespassing, but not caring in the least. Green-Amu floated into view and Mini-King's head perked up.

"I see. You now have your third egg. As expected, it is not the Embryo," he stated, becoming bored again.

"Wow! He looks like a miniature Tadase-kun! Way cute!" Amu freaked, clutching the Mini-King tightly as he tried to breathe.

"What're you doing? I can't breathe!" he gasped, but Amu was ignoring him with stars in her eyes.

"And what exactly _is_ an Embryo, Chara-King?" Sakura asked, standing from the bed and taking him from Amu, pushing the star-struck girl away. She held him in the palm of her hand, allowing him to stand and breathe.

"My name is Kiseki, you commoner!" he told her as she rolled her eyes. "And an Embryo is a magical egg which can grant any wish," Kiseki added. Sakura looked at him in shock.

"Any wish?" she whispered as he flew away from her and sat on his throne.

"Right, that's why they're so hard to find," he sighed, watching a calculating look flash through the 'boy's eyes. Kiseki frowned – he didn't want his cold, scheming person around his owner. "That is also why I need you all to become by servants and help me look for the –!"

"Does that mean Tadase-kun also has a wish he wants granted?" Amu asked, suddenly very attentive. Sakura rolled her eyes at the fangirl-behaviour and went back to thinking about the wish she wanted granting.

"Kiseki, is someone there?"

'_Oh, snap!'_ Sakura though, mentally laughing her butt off as the King's Chair walked into the room, hearing the commotion.

"Eh? Hinamori-san, Haruno-kun?" he recognised, seeing Amu looking as if she was about to choke the life out of Kiseki.

"I have nothing to do with this," Sakura snorted, trying to contain her laughter and keep her Charas quiet. Well, she kept Mari quiet while the more calm and collected Setsuko took care of Katsumi. Amu looked like she was about to die from embarrassment.

{-}

Amu and the King's Chair sat on the porch with their Charas while Sakura and her three mini-people leaned on the wall behind them, a very stoic aura hanging around the four of them. The King was talking to Amu about how happy he was that she came for a 'visit' and Sakura almost laughed again, knowing that breaking into his home did _not_ count as visiting. Amu was just acting very nervous and extremely guilty.

"Do you two still not wish to join the Guardians?" the King asked, addressing both Sakura and Amu. The former looked at him blankly while Amu appeared shocked by his sudden question. "With just one of you on our side, your strength would make our hearts stronger, and with both of you we would be almost unbeatable."

'_Make your hearts stronger? What the heck is this guy talking about?'_ Sakura sighed, finding the way he worded his statement to be almost creepy.

"We need your strength. Both of you," he continued. "With your help, we can find the Embryo." Now that caught Sakura's attention, but not enough for her to consider joining. She was sure that she could get it on her own. Sakura tuned them out as they moved on to talking about the King's dream.

"Saku-chan," Katsumi whispered, tugging on Sakura's ear.

"Hm?" she hummed, "What is it?" she asked, looking at her three Charas.

"You could share the cake you made with these two," Setsuko suggested, gesturing to the backpack containing Sakura's cake and mousse. Sakura frowned for a moment and shrugged, about to answer when she was cut off by loud yelling from the usually calm King.

"Don't call me a mere Prince!" he roared as a crown appeared on his head and fire lit in his eyes. Sakura raised a brow and sighed, remembering one of the reasons she didn't socialise. People were so weird. The King then grinned and began laughing manically as the other Guardians appeared.

"Oh, we haven't seen our Lord in a long time," the Jack's Chair, having just arrived with the two female Guardians, commented with a laugh as Amu ran over to them.

"What's going on?" Amu demanded, freaked out while the Queen's Chair stated that she _did_ warn her not to call him a Prince. Sakura ignored them, favouring the freaky King and his amusing display.

"Listen to me, my subjects!" he announced. "Do not call me by the title of a mere 'Prince'! It's 'King'!"

'_I think I just figured out his dream,'_ Sakura smirked at the cliché.

"I-Is his dream, by any chance..." Amu trailed off, afraid of the answer.

"Of course, it's world domination!" the King proclaimed as Amu fell into despair and Sakura stifled a laugh at the idiocy of it all. She listened half heartedly as the Guardians explained that he did this often and they didn't mind because they were actually helping him in his quest. Why, you ask? Because they find it fun.

Not a moment later, the King was back to normal and in a state of embarrassment and depression. He began apologising for his behaviour and explaining that he was like that whenever he Chara-Changed, but Amu was too freaked out to do anything but accept it. Sakura shrugged, seeing that the fun was over, and turned around to leave the King's residence when she was grabbed around the legs by the Ace's Chair.

"I smell cake!" the child grinned gleefully. Sakura sweat-dropped and opened her bag, showing her the box that held the cake. The girl squealed and stole it from her, running into the King's home and coming back with six plates, a cake slice and six forks. "Who wants cake?" she giggled, opening the box and yelling in delight when she saw the mousse.

"Hey! That's not yours," Sakura stated uselessly, since the girl was already dishing out the cake, with three cookies each on the side. She offered Sakura her piece, but she turned it down and the Ace ate it as well as her own. As soon as everyone took a bite, they all melted in the deliciousness.

"This is really good!" Amu sighed happily.

"Where did you buy this, Haruno?" the Jack asked, swallowing a big bite.

"I...I made it," Sakura mumbled, just loud enough for the Ace to hear.

"You made it?" she repeated her words loudly as everyone praised her for her baking skills. Sakura scowled at them, picked up her bag and let the Guardians and her cake behind.


	4. Yin Yang Twin Jokers

Chapter Three

Yoru had just finished a meeting with the cats and was on his way home, humming a tune as he thought about catnip and naps. A flash of pink rushed past him, causing him to stop in midair and look to where the colour had disappeared to. He saw the ends of someone's hair disappearing into an alley and grinned, thinking it was Amu.

"Ne, Ikuto wouldn't mind if I took time to mess with her, would he – nya?" he laughed, following after the pink-haired girl. When he got into the alley he stopped, seeing hair much longer than Amu's and a pair of eyes that were defiantly not amber. Emerald orbs looked up at him and he was shocked; it was the boy! But...he was a girl...

"Hn," she scoffed, looking behind her. A light appeared and Yoru had to look away, but when he turned back the girl with pink hair had vanished.

"Whoa," Yoru muttered, floating up and looking around to see if she was still in sight. He looked to his left and saw the ends of her hair going down between two buildings; she had jumped off of the roof. He followed her and floated down, only to be tackled in the air and pulled to the ground. Yoru looked up and saw a Shugo Chara with long black hair tied into a messy bun that spiked in all directions and red eyes. She was smiling down at him flirtatiously, giving him a wink and causing him to blush.

"Hey there, cutie; are you following me?" she giggled, brushing his hair away from his cheek. Yoru looked away from her eyes, at the broken heart clip holding back her right bang. He tilted his head to see it better, but the girl was picked off of him before he got the chance.

"Katsumi," the one who picked her up began firmly, "that's enough," she added, letting go of the Chara. Yoru looked up at the two of them, seeing obvious opposites in their appearance and attitude. Firstly, the Chara was still grinning and held a slight blush. She was a red, silk tank top with a pleated red mini-skirt that cut off a few inches below the middle of her thigh, over sheer red tights and red leather shoes. Oh her head was a bright red ribbon with a pink broken-heart clip attached to it on the right side.

The human girl was the exact opposite. She wore a pair of baggy black jeans that bunched up at her knees where they tucked into a pair of battered old, beaten leather boots. Around her waist was a black, silver-studded belt that had three chains on each side hanging between her hip and her knee, crossing each other. Her torso was covered with a crimson tank top and a black, piped leather bomber jacket. She had her hair loose; it was straight and fell a little past her hips in a flood of baby pink. Clenched in her fist was a black newsboy cap.

"Umm, I have to leave – nya," Yoru attempted, grinning a little at the two girls as he floated off. The human girl took a light grip on his tail, making sure not to hurt him, and pulled him back. The cat-Chara looked at her blank, emotionless face and gulped. The girl smirked and held him on the palm of her hand, allowing her Chara to hug him tightly.

"Aww – he's so cute! I wanna keep him; Shannaro!" Katsumi giggled, hugging him tightly around the waist. Yoru blushed heavily, trying to wriggle out of her unexpectedly strong grip.

"I am not a pet – nya!" Yoru gasped out, still struggling.

"Katsumi...let him go. Now," the girl ordered, looking her Shugo in the eyes – red meeting with green. The, ahem, 'affectionate' Chara reluctantly released Yoru and he greedily took in breaths.

"So, what was your name again, cutie?" Katsumi grinned, causing Yoru to blush and scratch the back of his head.

"I-I'm Yoru," he told her, noticing that they were still in the other girl's palm. He looked up at her expectantly, but she wasn't even looking at him. Yoru tilted his head, not sure why she was seemingly ignoring them. Sakura looked up and dropped Yoru from her hand, looking at Katsumi.

"Katsumi," she said as her Chara nodded.

"Chara-Change!" she called as the badge on Sakura's top changed to a pink broken heart. Sakura nodded to Yoru and flipped backwards, pushing herself off the wall and jumping onto the roof of the building. She jumped down into another alley, knowing that Ikuto would have come to pick up Yoru and she wasn't willing to let him find out she was a girl. Sakura then sighed. Yoru probably told him anyway.

"Katsumi, I told you not to let anyone see you," Sakura stated, glaring at her Shugo Chara as the badge turned back to normal. Katsumi grinned, blowing the hair away from her forehead.

"But he was soooooo _cute_!" she squealed. "His owner is too! Oh my, gosh! They're like the handsome loners of the night – stray cats that no one can tame!"

"You're being idiotic. It's not even night yet," Sakura sighed, running her hand through her hair before twisting it up and pulling on her cap – it hid all of her long locks. Katsumi grinned.

"You didn't deny that they're handsome," she giggled. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked out of the alley. She looked around the street, finding a crowd and blending in easily considering her hair colour.

She walked to her apartment, passing the landlord and closing the door quietly, going to her room and pushing Katsumi towards the three eggs in the padded box on the top of her dresser, next to the broken box containing her smashed cherry blossom. Katsumi yawned and floated sleepily towards the red egg. The egg to the left of Katsumi's – the blue one – opened and a lace headband popped out. Soon after, the headband was followed by a head of ebony hair.

"You're awake, Setsuko?" Sakura called to the delicate-looking, second-oldest Chara. Setsuko looked up, rubbing her eyes with her free hand, and blinked sleepily.

Setsuko, like Katsumi, black hair, but rather than red, she had bright blue eyes that matched her egg. However, her hair was tied in pigtails on either side of her head, just at the ends of her headband, and was curled into tight ringlets. She wore a power blue dress with white frills at the bottom to fluff out the dress, as well as white bows on the waist and one white bow at the lacy collar, which ended at the base of her neck. On her feet she wore sheer white stockings and shiny blue Mary-Jane's. She had loose black fishnet sleeves that contrasted with her light appearance and in her hair she had a light blue Lolita headband with white lace in the centre and surrounding the edges. On the right of the headband was a sapphire blue rose.

"Good evening, Saku-chan," Setsuko smiled in her usual soft voice. She walked past Katsumi's egg and tapped gently on the green egg. It opened quickly and a messy head appeared, stretching and yawning loudly without a care in the world, "Evening, Mari-chan."

"Whatever," Mari muttered, stretching her arms above her head. Her hair was also dark, like the others, and tied in two spiky ponytails on either side of her head, each flicking in all directions – never tamed. Around her head was a pair of goggles with hypnotic green swirls on the lenses. She wore a green top that had straps that crossed over in the front at tied behind her neck. Her legs were covered with rainbow socks that reached her knees and chunky green boots that ended just before, and she wore green short-shorts. Her arms were covered with dark and light green striped arm-socks and light green bangles, and around her neck was a green compass. Her eyes were green, like Sakura's, only a darker shade.

"Good night, guys," Sakura bid, changing into her black shorts and red tank top – both cotton – and getting into bed.

"Typical," Mari scoffed, "we get up and she goes to sleep," the Chara muttered, floating to the kitchen. Setsuko smiled slightly and followed her younger – though more violent – sister.

{-}

"Mari, you're coming with me today," Sakura announced the following morning as she got ready for school. Mari woke up immediately and sprang into the air, raring to go.

"Yahoo!" she cheered. "Let's go!" Mari added, flying around the room. Sakura shook her head and sighed, opening the laptop on her desk.

"Hold on...I need to print my homework and change," she muttered, scrolling through a list of documents. Finding what she wanted, Sakura printed off her work and walked to her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of blue tartan shorts, a white shirt and a black blazer. She laid these on her bed and walked to her desk again, throwing off her cap and brushing through her hair.

After doing that, Sakura took off her clothes and dressed in her uniform, making sure to leave the top two buttons on her shirt undone. She then picked up her blue tie and tied it loosely around her neck. Sakura tugged on her un-tucked shirt as she picked up her black blazer, throwing it over her shoulders and pulling her arms through the sleeves, leaving it undone. As a finishing touch, the girl clipped her chain-covered belt around her waist, making sure to attached the egg pouch and put Mari's green egg inside.

"Are you ready yet?" Mari asked in a bored voice. The green Chara had also changed into her usual school-time clothing – a tight green shirt, a pair of baggy green combat trousers, green trainers and a green shawl over her shoulders, round her neck. On her head – covering all of her hair – was a green beanie that had her goggles over it. Sakura ignored her, picking up her black square bag and putting her homework in it.

"Setsuko, tell Katsumi that we left if she wakes up. There's food in the fridge, as usual. Just help yourselves," Sakura ordered, waiting for the nod in response before she picked up her blue beanie and pulled it on, tucking her hair into it and leaving her bangs out before she left the apartment with Mari. She walked down the stairs of the apartment building and crossed the street, Mari following loyally behind her, humming a satisfied tune.

"Are we going right to school today, Saku-chan?" Mari asked in her usual gruff voice. Sakura looked at her Chara and didn't respond. Mari sighed and shrugged, already used to her master's behaviour, even though she was only born a few days ago – last, too, which Katsumi never fails to boast. They continued walking until they were in the shopping district. Mari scowled. She hated shopping.

"I need..." Sakura trailed off, looking around the shops. Mari growled slightly and flew in front of her master's face quickly.

"I hate shopping; why didn't you bring Katsumi?" Mari complained, throwing her fists around. Sakura looked up and rolled her eyes, ignoring the complaints of her supposedly 'strong' Chara. When Mari moved out of the way, Sakura looked to her side to smirk slightly at the green girl.

"Just calm down, Mari," she said quietly, looking around before deciding that she really didn't need to buy anything. A loud yell broke her thoughts before she could make a choice between going home and going to school.

"Look out!" she heard a voice call as she walked past the park. Turning, Sakura's eyes widened as a football closed in on her location.

"Saku-chan," Mari panicked, "Chara-Change!" She called, watching as the badge on Sakura's uniform became a green swirl and the girl managed to flip around and kick the ball back in the location it came. They heard a pain-filled grunt as the badge returned to normal.

"Wow! That was awesome, Haruno!" she heard an amazed voice yell. Sakura looked up and saw a boy with messy, sandy-brown hair and mossy green eyes; the Jack's Chair. He looked at her with a wide grin on his face as four older boys came up behind him, one looking slightly annoyed and holding a football.

"I...I..." she gulped, wishing Katsumi was there. She was always better at communicating when it came to boys. Sakura looked to her left, but there were people there, so she ran right, up the street. The younger boy of the group gasped and held a hand out to catch her, but missed as she ran quickly. Sakura stopped when she believed she was far enough away and turned a corner, looking round to make she he hadn't followed. Mari came up behind her, laughing at her master's red face.

"Hahaha; you're just the same as ever, Saku-chan – can't handle boys more than one at a time, and even then, you're nervous," she snorted, her cheeks turning pink from laughter.

"B-Be quiet, Mari!" Sakura ordered, her face colouring even more, "It's not _my_ fault that I can't be around boys. It's just what happens."

"Whatever," the green Chara waved off, floating up and laying on Sakura's head with a happy sigh, "I don't care. At least I got to Chara-Change with you; first time since Ikuto came to your house on Thursday! That's three days without a Chara-Change."

"I'm glad you're so happy about it. And think; Setsuko has _never_ Chara-Changed with me so far," Sakura sighed, looking around the corner once more before deeming it safe and stepping out.

"Yo!" she heard someone greet from behind her. Sakura froze slightly and turned around, gulping when she saw the boy from earlier, leaning his elbow against the wall and winking. Before she could run, he reached out and took her arm.

"Let me go!" she yelled, hitting his arm. The boy held tight and his face turned serious as he looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening with realisation when he caught sight of Mari.

"Are you still rejecting our offer, Haruno?" he asked. His hand on Sakura's arm loosened enough for her to break free and run off, the Shugo girl flying after her.

"T-That was way too close," Sakura said, gasping for breath after running much further and faster to get away from him this time. She could handle anything with grace and poise...except boys. _'That's why...Katsumi was born,'_ she remembered.

"Ne, are we going to school now? I wanna know – cha!" Mari stated loudly, throwing her fist into the air. The pinkette rolled her eyes and turned another corner.

"I'll talk to you when there's no one around to think I'm insane," Sakura muttered, disguising her words as a cough.

"Whatever," Mari said again as she rolled her eyes and looked around the street for some entertainment. There wasn't anything of interest except large groups of people wearing the same uniform as Sakura.

"Either come in or stay here. I don't care," Sakura told the Chara, walking in through the gates. All of the students that were still in the school parted for her, whispering to their friends about the strange, mysterious 'boy' as usual. Mari followed behind, taking the time to look around.

She caught sight of a Chara with green-hair and an apron; Green-Amu, as they had learnt the previous day. Smirking slightly, she began to float towards the motherly-looking Chara, but was stopped when her master stretched out and took hold of her, disguising it as a yawn. Sakura scooped her closer and held her there, making sure she didn't fly off towards the other green Chara.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Mari complained, wriggling to get free. She managed and floated up until she was eye-level with Sakura.

"Look, it's him!" the girl whispered to her friend, hearts in the eyes of all the girls near her.

"Cool and Mysterious!" the large group yelled in union. Sakura, used to their antics, sighed heavily.

"Ne, ne; he and Hinamori-san should go out with each other!"

"Yeah, that'd be great; the 'Cool and Spicy' girl with the 'Cool and Mysterious' boy!"

"They're a perfect match!"

"Oh, how wrong they are," Mari snickered, wiggling her toes inside her boots.

"Whatever," Sakura muttered within another sigh as she made her way to her classroom, sitting in her usual window seat at the back. The other students filtered into the room, chatting amongst themselves and leaving the two 'Cool' students to themselves. Sakura liked it that way, but she could tell Amu didn't by the way she was glancing at the groups of friends.

"I know that he'll be the next Guardian," one girl 'whispered' to her friend – Sakura just blinked slowly, paying them no heed.

"Yeah; he's so cool! And they needed another boy to balance out the boy-to-girl ratio!" her friend giggled. "After all, the Guardians are made for each other, you know! The King and the Queen, the Jack and the Ace and whatever Hinamori-san and Haruno-kun will be! It's perfect."

"Morons," Mari muttered from her place, lying in the windowsill lazily while looking out of the window at the sky. Sakura placed her chin in her hand, gazing at the people walking into the school building below her. She shook her head.

"Why would I want to become a Guardian, anyway?" she said, rolling her eyes and shifting her feet in her black shoes. What she didn't know was that, two seats in front of her, a girl named Hinamori Amu was facing a large dilemma of her own.

"Ran, do you have any idea what they meant?" Amu asked her pink-Chara, tilting her head at what the other Guardians told her when she was appointed as the 'Yang Joker'.

"_Someday, two people who have three eggs each will appear. One will be the owner of the Humpty Lock, and the other will be the protector." Tadase stated, quoting the Founding King. "I believe that you are the owner and Haruno-kun will be the protector. You are, after all, Twin Jokers."_

"They said Twin Jokers, huh? But he's never going to join," Amu muttered, tapping her chin in thought. Suu blinked and floated high in the air, looking all around. "What's wrong, Suu?"

"I feel the presence of a Chara – desu," the little green girl stated, holding her hands to her chin as she continued to look.

"I don't feel anything," Ran and Miki stated in union, looking up at their youngest sister, who had been born only three days ago. Suu kept looking around and spotted who she was looking for – a small Chara, who appeared to be mainly based on the colour green, like her.

"There! It's that boy over there, Haruno-kun – desu!" Suu smiled, floating over to the sleeping Chara with her sisters. Amu turned in her seat slightly to looked at the person the Chara belonged to and her eyes widened upon seeing the 'Cool and Mysterious' male student who had transferred to the school on – coincidentally – the same day as she had. She had gotten to know him a little recently and knew that he too had three eggs, but was curious as to why only Suu could feel its presence.

"Hello!" Suu greeted happily, waving at the Chara and 'his' owner. The human looked up and stared at Suu for a moment before looking away while 'his' Chara yawned. "We never got formally introduce, so I believe this is a perfect opportunity – desu."

"Yo," 'he' said back sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Ran grew hearts in her eyes at the sight of him.

"Hi! I'm Ran! And these are my sisters, Miki and Suu!" the pink girl stated happily, floating closer to the 'boy'.

"Uhh...I'm Mari," 'he' said with a slight hint of nervousness in his tone. "Is she always like this?" Mari asked the other two, who merely nodded. "Right, well, anyway; class is starting. You should get back to your owner."

"Yes!"

{-}

Sakura was packing up her belongings from morning classes, getting ready for the afternoon ones, when her desk had two shadows cast over it. Looking up, she spotted the current Queen's Chair, Fujisaki Nadeshiko, and Hinamori Amu standing near her. While Nadeshiko was smiling slightly, Amu looked nervous and slightly scared to be so close to the mysterious student who had become colder to her since rejecting the offer of the Guardians. Sakura blinked and placed a hand on her hip, mindful not to pull or catch her sleeve on one of the chains on her belt. Mari's head popped out of her egg, but Sakura subtly pushed her back in gently.

"Haruno Saku-kun, I've only just realised that we've never been formally introduced," Nadeshiko asked pleasantly, holding out her hand, "I am Fujisaki Nadeshiko, and this is Hinamori Amu," she introduced, still waiting for Sakura to take her hand.

"Sorry, I don't do handshakes," she told the Queen's Chair politely, causing some of the girls in the classroom to sigh dreamily.

"That's okay," Nadeshiko said, still smiling as she lowered her hand and clasped them in front of her, bowing her head while Sakura did the same. "I would like to invite you again to the Royal Garden after school today for a tea party."

"I know that Haruno-kun will be the next Guardian!"

"He can't reject them forever!"

"Even Hinamori-san accepted!"

"...No, thank you," Sakura declined, still being as polite as possible. "Tea parties aren't really something I associate myself with," she told the girl, wincing when she heard the squealing girls yelling 'Cool and Mysterious' at the top of their lungs.

"Look, you don't have to stay for the tea, just come along and listen to what we have to say," interrupted Amu, her outer character showing to cover her nervousness around the 'boy'.

"Tea, cakes and light conversation are pointless," Sakura said directly to Amu, causing the taller girl to sweat slightly under her confident facade.

"Oh my; it's a clash of Spicy and Mysterious to see who the title of truly 'Cool' belongs to!" one girl stated gleefully.

"You're wasting my time," Sakura sighed, picking up her satchel and walking past them, making sure to bump Amu's shoulder as she moved by her.

"One point for Haruno-kun!" one group of girls, who suddenly had headbands with 'Saku' written on them, cheered.

"Well, it was a waste of our time to come talk to you," scoffed the Hinamori girl, her outer character still in control. _'I'm so dead!'_ she panicked internally.

"One point for Hinamori-san!" a second group of girls, who wore headbands with 'Amu' written on them, retorted.

"This contest of words is ridiculous," Sakura summarised, rolling her eyes as she walked out of the room. The echo of 'Haruno-kun wins' met her ears, as well as the wailing of all the 'Amu-fans'. She pressed herself against the wall outside the classroom, placing a hand over her heart and sighing. _'Why is the classroom always so crowded; would it kill them to take a sick-day every once in a while?'_

"You okay?" Mari asked, fixing her hat.

"I'm fine," Sakura replied quietly, standing up straight and turning a corner, only to run into the same boy as earlier.

"Hey there, it's you again!" he grinned, letting her go but making sure to put his hands on the wall on either side of her head, making sure she couldn't run away again. "I told the others to keep bugging you about joining! Has Fujisaki come to talk to you yet?"

"Oi, back off!" Mari growled, pulling on his hair. The boy winced and turned his head as his Chara popped up and pulled Mari away.

"Wow. Angry Chara you've got there! I'm Souma Kukai, if you didn't know, and this is my Chara, Daichi," he grinned.

"I-I'm –"

"No worries! I know who you are, Haruno," he laughed, patting the top of Sakura's head, which was still covered by her beanie. "Although, I'm not completely sure who he is," Kukai continued, gesturing with his thumb to the green Chara. Noticing that one of his hands was off the wall, Sakura ducked away from him and began to back away.

"My Chara is Mari," she stated, her voice cracking slightly. _'Do not panic; whatever you do!'_ Sakura repeated to herself.

"Hey, why'd you run away before, anyway?" he asked curiously, slowly approaching her with Daichi.

"I...I..." she gulped when she felt his breath on her face, turning and running down the hall, stopping outside the school building to catch her breath. "That was too close," she said.

{-}

Sakura sighed as she packed her school stuff away and made sure she had all of her homework assignments written down. The girl then picked up her satchel and made her way to the door, only to find it blocked by the five Guardians and their Charas. Raising a brow, Sakura shifted her weight to her left foot and placed a hand on her hip, Mari doing the same while balancing on her shoulder.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a bored tone, not noticing her fangirls grouped behind her with determined eyes.

"Well, since we knew that you wouldn't come to the Royal Garden, we decided to come to you instead," the King's Chair, Hotori Tadase, told her with a soft smile to highlight his angelic features. Sakura shielded her eyes from the sparkles around him and sighed, walking to the other door at the front of the class. She opened it, only to back away quickly when she saw Kukai standing there.

'_Does he always have to be in my way? Why not Hinamori or Yuiki – they're easily pushed aside, even if one would whine like a baby and the other would annoy me until I apologised,'_ she thought to herself, not noticing that the Guardians had cornered her against a desk in the front. _'I really need to stop talking to myself.'_

"Haruno-kun, we would like to –"

"Hehehehehe," giggling cut Tadase off in his offer and the five Guardians turned, seeing a group of giggling girls with headbands and flags that said 'Saku' on them in blue – the flags and headbands themselves being black. While the Guardians were distracted, Sakura made a stealthy escape. Unfortunately, a certain immature girl from fourth grade spotted her and followed behind.

"Finally," she said with a sigh. A strand of long pink hair fell in front of her face and she paused, pulling off her cap and letting her waist-length hair fall around her so that she could re-do it. Sakura heard a gasp from behind her and froze for a moment before struggling to twist her hair back up and under the hat. The Ace's Chair skipped in front of her, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.

"You're a girl!" she gasped in glee, giggling slightly. "So that's why you're so pretty; for a second, I was worried that there was actually a boy out there prettier than Tadase, but I guess that it's okay, since you're a girl! But, you're even prettier than Nadeshiko-chi! And I thought that she was prettier than anyone!"

"Please," Sakura ground out between her teeth, interrupting the Ace's Chair.

"What?" the fourth grader sang.

"Please don't tell anyone about this. Not even the other Guardians. Do you get it? Not a soul," Sakura said.

"Okay!" the orange-top promised. "But, only on two conditions."

"What are they?"

"One: what's your real name? Unless it's really Saku, because I guess that's a boy's name or a girl's name, huh?" she giggled, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," she sighed, placing a hand over her eyes. The one person who found out just _had_ to be the most talkative person in the school, didn't it? "What's the second condition?"

"You have to join the Guardians!" she cheered, throwing her hands up in the air before pausing and looking at Sakura. "But then...I wouldn't be the smallest Guardian! I mean, I'd still be the youngest, but you're really tiny! Like, the smallest fifth grade person I've ever seen! You only come up to my shoulder!"

"Okay, I get it. I'm short," Sakura sighed, scowling at Mari when she heard her Chara snigger. "Do I really have to join? Can't I just owe you a favour?"

"Nope!" the Ace hummed happily. Sakura deflated and gave in, allowing Yaya to drag her to the Royal Garden once she had her hat on right. When they arrived, everyone else was already there, wondering where their Ace was. "Hello!"

"Yaya, what happened?" Amu called, her tone indicating that she was worried about the younger girl. Everyone looked with wide eyes when Sakura stepped out from behind the hyper girl.

"He's agreed to join!" the Ace's Chair laughed, "All it took was some Yaya-chan Magic!"

"And Pepe-tan, too – dechu," Pepe added, popping up from inside Yaya's cape and causing Sakura to wonder if she had been there all along.

"Well, since you're here, I suppose we should introduce ourselves," the King suggested – the King-Chara Sakura had seen the previous evening was floating beside him. "I am Hotori Tadase, and this is my Shugo Chara, Kiseki."

"You already know me! But, just in case you forgot, I'm Souma Kukai, and this is my Shugo Chara, Daichi," he smiled, pointing his thumb at a sporty Chara.

"The Ace's Chair is Yuiki Yaya, and this is my cute little Pepe-chan!" Yaya grinned with stars in her eyes as she held up a baby-like Chara.

"Nice to meet you again; I'm the Queen's Chair, Fujisaki Nadeshiko, and this is Temari," she said, gesturing to a kimono-clad Chara.

"Hinamori Amu, Yang Joker's Chair. This is Ran, Miki and Suu," Amu stated in a stoic manner, her outer character coming into play again.

"I'm Haruno Saku, and this is Mari. You'll meet the other two on Monday, so don't bug me about them," Sakura sighed. Everyone looked at the violent-looking Chara and tilted their heads.

"Isn't Mari a girl's name?" Kukai asked, causing Sakura and Mari to freeze and Yaya and Pepe to snigger.

"Y-You got a problem with my name, pal?" Mari growled, throwing a fist in Kukai's direction. He laughed nervously and backed away from the angry Chara.

"Anyway, as we told Hinamori-san previously, every Joker has a twin," Tadase cut in before it got too violent, "and so, I would like to present the Twin Jokers; Yang, Hinamori Amu, and Yin, Haruno Saku!"

"...Great..."

{-}

When Monday came around and everyone in the school was gathered together in one place, Sakura yawned at the Guardian's assembly. It was just the same as always; boring announcements and the results of all of the current surveys. She looked up at the ceiling and counted the tiles, which was hard to do with all three of her Charas – Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari – flying around her head trying to entertain themselves.

"And finally, although it is sudden...we would like to announce two new members of the Guardians," the King stated. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"He wouldn't," she muttered as the students whispered about how the Guardian group was expanding.

"Our fifth and sixth members: the Twin Jokers. Yin: Haruno Saku. Yang: Hinamori Amu," he announced as the students broke into new whispers.

"He did!" her three Chara laughed as Sakura sighed.


	5. In England, It's Called Football

Chapter Five

Sakura stood in the Royal Garden as the others discussed the duties of the Twin Jokers. She didn't want to join at all, and to make matters worse, all three of her Charas had decided to join her that day. They had to be given aliases, to lessen any possible suspicions about Sakura. Mari's name was one thing, but Setsuko and Kutsumi's names were just too feminine and so the Lolita Chara became Setsu and Katsumi became Katsu.

"Haruno-kun," Nadeshiko called, breaking her thoughts. Sakura looked up lazily, but jumped back when she saw Nadeshiko holding out the Royal Cape.

"I am _not_ wearing that," she stated firmly, pointing at the blue fabric.

"My, my; you Twin Jokers are more alike that I thought," she giggled, leaving the Cape on the table. "You only have to wear it on formal occasions, Haruno-kun; I promise."

After a few more minutes of explaining what the Jokers were supposed to do, Kukai interrupted by saying he had to train them. Sakura was confused as to what this meant at first, but followed them outside due to her own curious nature taking over. Setsuko didn't really care in the least and the other two were excited to find out what the training was. It was when the Jack's Chair look out a long piece of rope that Sakura cursed every aspect of herself that convinced her to follow him in the first place.

"Let's go!" called Kukai, wrapping the rope around the Jokers and beginning to run as fast as he could. While Sakura could just about keep up, Amu was struggling to carry on.

"What kind of training is this?" demanded Sakura as Kukai laughed.

"Special Training," he replied, running a little further before coming to a complete stop and dropping the rope. Sakura managed to stop in time, but Amu bumped into their sempai. She watched the exchange and glared at Amu – the girl seemed to get everything; friends, acknowledgement and acceptance. All Sakura got was fear.

Not wanting to watch Amu and Kukai any longer, Sakura turned sharply and walked away from them. Her Shugo Charas watched her go sadly.

{-}

When Sakura got to her apartment after work that afternoon, she froze. Sitting on her sofa, watching her TV and eating the leftovers of the ramen she had cooked the night before was Ikuto and Yoru, looking like they were very at home in her living room. She twitched and chose to ignore the due, taking off her blazer and tie before going into her room and changing into jeans and a shirt, making sure to straighten her hat.

Glancing over at her 'shelf of broken things', Sakura moved the box in the middle over a little; she smiled as she traced the edges of the broken glass cherry blossom. Sakura used her hands to wipe away some of the dust that had collected on the shelf and walked to her desk – patting her hands together to rid them of the dust – before setting out her homework assignments. She walked back to the shelf and moved the box a little more.

"What're you doing?" Mari asked, confused as her older sister floated around her. Sakura turned with a smile.

"Making room for a soon-to-be-broken Kitty-Cosplay guy," she replied. The girl, with no real plans to beat Ikuto, walked out of her room and sighed at the sight of him. Choosing to not pay any attention to the boy, she moved towards her kitchen for a drink.

"You even wear a hat inside?" Ikuto asked her when she stepped out of her room. Sakura continued to ignore him. "So, Yoru tells me you're a girl," he commented casually, watching as she froze and smirked when his theory was proven to be correct.

"Don't tell anyone," Sakura warned him, pulling off her hat and standing in front of the boy while he remained sitting very comfortably on her sofa.

"No worries. Who would I tell?" he scoffed, reaching up a hand and curling his finger around one of her long pink locks. Sakura pushed his hand away and he shrugged, slurping some more ramen. The girl eyed him warily for a moment before shrugging as well and going to her room to start on her homework. Ikuto looked up from the TV and smirked, following her into her room. "This really doesn't look like a typical girl's room," he said with a yawn, noticing Sakura pausing in her writing at glare at him.

"Get out of my room," she growled, but Ikuto ignored her and let his eyes scan over the pictures on the wall.

"So, you like Oguri Shun and Matsumoto Jun, huh?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he continued, but looking for pictures of her. "Heh, you're pretty cute in girl's clothes." Ikuto laughed as he pointed to a picture of her and two boys around her age. "Looks like you were popular with the boys, too," he added, seeing another picture of her with the same two kids, but also with three more males surrounding her.

"Stop looking at my photos!" she yelled, getting up and grabbing the back of his shirt, pulling him towards the door. Ikuto spotted the map and dropped all of his body weight to the floor; Sakura wasn't strong enough to hold him and so she fell to the ground with him.

"You like travelling?" he guessed, looking at the map. Sakura's eyes softened as she thought of her dream of travelling the world, but hardened again when she remembered that Ikuto was still in her room.

"I'll make you a deal. You can come to my apartment, watch my TV and eat all the leftovers you want if you do three things in return," she persuaded. Ikuto looked up at her, cat ears appearing on his head and twitching in interest.

"You have my attention."

"One; no one can know that I'm a girl."

"Deal," he agreed, nodding.

"Two; no one can know that you're coming here."

"...Deal."

"Three; you have to tell me why you tried to steal my eggs."

"No deal." He waved her off, shaking his head with a smirk.

"Fine; then how about you stay out of my room, at least?" she offered, changing the third condition. Sakura didn't actually know why she was offering the exchange and not just trying to beat him up, but assumed it was because she was tired and didn't feel like fighting with him.

"Nah," Ikuto's smirk widened as he stood from the floor. Sakura grit her teeth, but she knew that there was only one way to get him to agree – and it wasn't Chara-Changing with Mari and fighting.

"Please, Ikuto! My room is the only personal space I have that is completely my own; so, please, just accept the conditions," Sakura begged, looking him directly in the eyes. Ikuto froze, seeing the pleading expression on her face, and looked away.

"Fine, but you have to cook me dinner once a week."

"No deal."

{-}

The next day in school, Sakura passed a large crowd of girls, all of them giggling over something on the notice board. She raised a brow, seeing pink hair in the crowd, but just shrugged and carried on walking, passing a man who had fallen and dropped his folders and papers all over the hall. She scowled at him slightly, getting the feeling that she knew him from somewhere, as she and her Charas walked into her classroom.

Sitting in her usual seat, Sakura watched three friends talking when one of them said something about transferring schools. Sakura's eyes widened and she looked away, remembering how hard it was to tell her old friends that she was leaving their small village in Japan to come to the place she now lived in. She sighed slightly, feeling a little sorry for the girl, but mostly not caring about her problems.

Amu walked up to her desk and leaned on it, obviously thinking that because their shared a title in the Guardians that they were 'friends'. Sakura glared at her while the girl went on about how unfortunate it was that 'Hatoba Yuki-san' was leaving for America. She glanced at Yuki and frowned, wondering if the girl even knew Basic English. Judging by how her friends were screaming about it, Sakura would guess that the answer to her question was a 'no'.

Sakura suddenly felt a dark presence, the same one she had felt when that boy from third grade gave birth to an X Egg. She stood from her seat and ran out of the room, her Shugo Charas following her as she began searching for the root of the dark aura. However, she soon lost the trail, as well as her way on the school grounds. She looked around and saw a building behind her that looked like an old auditorium and walked towards it, ignoring the 'do not enter' sign as she pushed open the doors and entered with her Charas, all four of them looking around in awe.

She walked to a seat and sat down, staring at the pattern of stars on the roof as they changed into a sky at dawn and she fell into a daydream about her and her father travelling the world together – the whole world, rather than just the twelve-month-twelve-country challenge they had done previously, where they only visited the capitals of twelve countries in tourist-conditions. Smiling to herself, she heard a loud crash and hid behind the row of seats in front of her, watching as Amu fell into the room, gasping and smiling when she saw the way the ceiling was decorated.

Suddenly, the door crashed open again and a Shugo Chara with an 'X' on its forehead entered, targeting Amu instantly. The pinkette dodged attacks as best she could, but the smaller girl could see that Amu was struggling. Sakura immediately let her eyes widen and she turned to her Charas, grabbing Katsumi and moving quietly to the other side of the atrium before letting her go.

"Katsumi, how do we transform?" she asked, watching as Amu freaked them the X Chara spoke to her.

"I don't know! It just happened before!" Katsumi told her.

"Forget it," Sakura growled. She stepped forwards, listening as Amu spoke to the X Chara.

"_I am a J-Joker_," she stuttered, her English faltering.

"_Mistake_!" the Chara yelled. Sakura suddenly got an idea of how to distract the Chara as she stepped forwards, pushing Amu out of the way in just enough time to get her away from the blast of the English Alphabet.

"Haruno-kun!" recognised Amu as Sakura cast a glance in her direction, stepping forward to face the X-Chara.

"_Do you like English_?" the Chara asked the girl.

"_Yes, I like English very much, thank you_," she replied in perfect English. The Chara seemed shocked, but grinned.

"_Do you know your alphabet_?" it asked slyly as it began singing, "_A-B-C-D –_"

"_E-F-G –_"

"_H-I-J-K –_"

"_L-M-N-O-P –_"

"_Q-R-S –_"

"_T-U-V –_"

"_W-X –_"

"_Y and Z –_"

"_Now I know my A-B-C's, next time won't you sing with me_?" they finished in union. The X-Chara didn't know what to do to someone who knew the language so well. The X-Chara got angry about being shown up by the small pinkette and attacked her with her alphabet-beam.

"Chara-Change!" yelled Mari, the yin-yang pin on Sakura's shirt becoming a green swirl as she leapt up and twisted in the air, avoiding the hit.

"Haruno-kun!" called Amu in worry, watching as Sakura skilfully dodged the attack. The girl looked up at the X-Chara and her eyes widened when both she and Amu heard Yuki's voice behind the Chara, stating how scared she was to leave her friends and go to a different country.

"Hinamori-san!" a boy called. Sakura and Amu looked over and saw Tadase and Kukai.

"Tadase-kun, Kukai!" acknowledged Amu while Sakura dodged another attack.

"Be careful!" warned Tadase, "That's an X-Chara, born from an X Egg."

"X-Chara?" repeated Amu while Sakura rolled her eyes; she had thought that it would have been obvious.

"_Yes, I am an_ X-Chara!" it cried, attacking all four of the Guardians. Sakura saw the boys duck behind the same chairs as Amu had while she jumped up and kicked herself off of the wall, throwing a punch at the X-Chara. It dodged easily – no surprise, judging by the size of it – and Sakura fell to the ground.

"Watershed no Kokoro: Unlock!" she heard Amu yell before she blacked out from hitting her head when she fell.

{-}

Amu smiled as Yuki opened her eyes – her Heart's Egg had been purified and returned to her heart. The pink-haired girl was grateful that Saku was there to draw the attention of the X-Chara while she was going through her identity crisis and she had even gotten hurt defending her. Amu looked up to Kukai, who was holding the surprisingly light boy in his arms. He was still unconscious, but he looked to be waking up.

His eyes opened and he looked around, seeing his worried Charas – Mari, Setsu and Katsu – hovering over him. He looked around as Kukai let him down, obviously still drowsy, and simply walked away. Amu shrugged and looked back to Yuki – the human, not the Chara.

{-}

"Yuki-chan, you're leaving in a week, right?" Yuki's friend asked while Yuki nodded in reply.

"Yes, I am. Why?" she asked.

"Well, I heard a very reliable rumour that Haruno-kun can speak English – fluently, too!" she smiled slyly. "Why don't you ask him to tutor you?"

"Y-You think he'd help me?" she asked, stuttering as she looked over to the quiet boy by the window.

"If you do anything before you go, you should be the first girl to actually talk to Haruno-kun properly – well, with the exception of Hinamori-san, Yaya-chan and Fujisaki-san, of course," giggled one of them. Her friends pushed her towards him and he looked up, his eyes bored.

"H-Hi," greeted Yuki nervously, wringing her hands together.

"Hello. Can I help you?" he asked smoothly, causing Yuki to blush.

"I was wondering...well...I-I'm going to America soon and I don't know any English," she explained. "C-Could you...umm...t-teach me?"

"...Sure...What's your address?" he asked after a moment. Yuki jumped and wrote it down on the paper he was offering. "I'll be over later tonight. Do you know any basic phrases or anything?" he asked while Yuki shook her head. He sighed slightly. "Alright, we'll start with greetings and common questions and answers tonight and then we'll work from there."

"R-Right!" she grinned happily.

{-}

Sakura was tired. After going to work that evening, she then proceeded to go to Yuki's house to begin the English lessons. The girl was a fast learner and had pick up the basics rather easily, so Sakura had promised to go on to more difficult stuff the next day in school – Yuki was shocked when Sakura invited her to the Royal Garden in the morning. She opened the door to her apartment and paused, sighing when she saw Ikuto.

"Yo!" greeted Ikuto, eating more leftovers from her fridge – Italian pasta this time. Sakura sighed, going to her room and getting changed. She had become accustomed to Ikuto showing up at the most random of times. Walking out of her room wearing jeans and a blue shirt – but no hat – Sakura sat on the sofa next to the older boy and took a piece of pasta.

{-}

"_My name is Yuki Hatoba. It is nice to meet you. What is your name?_"

"Very good, Hatoba-san," Sakura smiled, closing her book. This was the last day Yuki would be in the school and they were running through what she had learnt; for such a short amount of time spent learning the language, Yuki had progressed well and would be able to hold a basic conversation, as well as ask and answer simple questions, easily.

"Aha! Thank you, Haruno-sensei!" said Yuki gleefully, gathering up her books and running to class. Sakura watched her leave and sighed slightly, standing to go to class as well. What she wasn't looking forward to was that clumsy substitute teacher they were going have for a while.

Sakura sighed and straightened her hat, making sure all of her hair was inside, before she walked to the door of the Royal Garden.

{-}

The girl giggled to herself, thinking of how their new teacher called Amu nothing but 'Himamori-san'. She found it funny how, no matter how many times he was corrected, he would still call her by that name. It was almost as if he was doing it on purpose, just to annoy the other pink haired girl of the class. She sighed, trying to tune out the constant arguments between Setsuko and Mari about whether it is more important for a girl to be delicate or tough.

"Haruno-kun," Sakura heard someone call from down the hall. She looked over and saw Nadeshiko and Amu coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Fujisaki-san, Hinamori-san," she nodded, going to walk away. However, Nadeshiko had other ideas and she took her shoulder. "What is it?" asked Sakura, already used to members of the Guardians grabbing her randomly.

"I heard that you like soccer. Do you want to come and watch the soccer team's practice today?" she asked, watching Sakura's eyes light up while the disguised girl nodded. "Great! Come on, you can sit with us."

{-}

After the practice game, which Amu rudely interrupted, Sakura was on her way back home when someone tackled her. She stumbled and managed to catch herself before she fell completely, holding both herself and the person on her back – who was taller than her – upright. She felt the person slide off and she turned around, sighing when she saw Yuiki Yaya right behind her, grinning down at the shorter, though older girl.

"What is it, Yuiki-san?" Sakura sighed, shifting her weight from her left foot to her right. Yaya grinned happily.

"I live this way too! We can walk home together!" Yaya laughed, taking Sakura's hand and dragging her along the road. "We can walk together every day, right, Pepe-chan?"

"Right – dechu!" agreed Pepe, saluting her owner. Sakura glanced at her three Charas, asking with her eyes for their help, but Setsuko shook her head, Mari grinned evilly and Katsumi looked away with a small giggle.

"Oh, that's right! You're Saku-chi's Shugo Charas!" Yaya realised, pulling to a halt. "So, you're Mari, Setsu and Katsu, right?"

"No, my correct name is Setsuko," the blue Chara informed, spinning into her usual Lolita clothing. Yaya squealed and clapped at the cute, doll-like Chara and Katsumi also twirled into her usual clothing, as did Mari.

"I'm Katsumi," she stated with a wink. Mari rolled her eyes and gave her sister a light punch in the arm.

"My name really is Mari," the green Chara sighed, turning away as Yaya took Sakura's hand again. They came to a turn where Sakura would usually go right, but Yaya dragged her to the left.

"Oi, Yuiki-san, I live the other way," Sakura told her, pulling back from the baby-like girl. Yaya, without stopping, turned and grinned at Sakura.

"I know! I called your house and your big brother picked up; I told him that you were coming over for dinner at my place!" she stated happily, coming to a stop outside of her own home.

"...My big brother...?" Sakura echoed, not having any brothers or sisters, older or younger, that she knew of, _'Unless she was talking about...'_

{-}

Ikuto sighed, settling himself down on Sakura's sofa with a pot of leftover curry and a glass of lemonade. All the while he was wondering; "Who is Yuiki Yaya?"

{-}

'_Brother? Enters my home – eats my food – annoys me to no end...yeah, I guess he __**is**__ like my older brother,'_ she shrugged, "How did you get my home number, anyway?"

"The school's directory," Yaya grinned. Sakura gave up with a sigh, allowing Yaya to bring her into the house. The first thing she saw was a very pregnant woman that looked a lot like Yaya bustling about the kitchen while an older man kept telling her to rest. Sakura smiled slightly, never having seen this happen in her own home, and Yaya dragged her upstairs.

"Okay, Saku-chi, this is my room!" declared Yaya, digging through her wardrobe and pulling out a very cute outfit. She shoved it in Sakura's hands and pushed the girl towards the bathroom. "You can borrow some of my clothes and return them tomorrow."

"Okay," Sakura nodded, taking the clothes with a sigh and entering the bathroom, staring at the overly-purple pile of cloth. She slipped it on and emerged from the bathroom wearing a purple shirt with bows around the collar and sleeves, and a bunny's face on the front with a hot pink, ruffled skirt that fell just about her knees. Sakura turned to Yaya, who giggled.

"Now we just have to get rid of the hat and you can use this to tie your hair back!" she stated, showing Sakura a hair tie with another bunny head on it. The pinkette winced at the sight of it, but allowed Yaya to take her hat and tie her hair in a way that looked a lot like Nadeshiko, but with the bottom layer of her hair left down.

"Are you done?" she sighed.

"Yep; now I can introduce you to my Mama-chi and my Papa-tan!" she giggled, dragging Sakura down the stairs. "This is my Mama-chi and this is my Papa-tan!"

"Nice to meet you," Sakura bowed, "My name is Haruno Sakura. Thank you for allowing me in your home."

"It's no trouble, dear," Yaya's mother assured her. "Dinner will be ready soon, so just go up to Yaya-chan's room and I'll call you down in a minute."

"Yes, Mama!" grinned Yaya before she began dragging Sakura upstairs again, as Sakura heard the woman ask her husband to set the table. Sakura looked at the parents and sighed, wishing her family could be like that too.

{-}

Sakura walked down the street on her way home, still wearing the clothes that Yaya had loaned her. She was getting a few looks, but overall she wasn't too bothered any more. After all, nothing was worse than what was to come – she just hoped that Ikuto had gone home or wherever he went after stealing all of her food. Cautiously sneaking past her landlord's desk she entered her apartment.

"Ikuto's not here, Saku-chan!" Katsumi assured, floating into the kitchen.

"He is not here either," Setsuko called from her bedroom.

"Not here," Mari stated, settling on the arm of the sofa and turning on the television. Sakura nodded and walked to her bedroom, folding up the clothes Yaya loaned her and pulling on a set of dark blue pyjamas. She carried the clothes into her kitchen, placing them in the washing machine with some washing powder before turning it on, and walked back to her bedroom, climbing out onto the roof.

"A full moon, huh?" she mused, her eyes lidded.

{-}

Sakura settled herself down in her chair and sighed. There would be no more English lessons with Yuki, since the girl was leaving later on that day. She glanced at the chair the girl used to sit in and smiled, knowing that she's be okay. One of Yuki's friends saw the glance and squealed about how nice Sakura was to care about their poor little Yuki. Before the teacher could enter the room, the door opened and everyone looked up, seeing Yuki wearing a pink, pleated skirt and a white shirt with a duckling on it. In her hands was a small gift.

"Saku-chan, she's coming over here," Katsumi noticed, pointing to the brunette as she walked closer, stopping just next to Sakura desk. Mari and Setsuko watched the girl blush heavily, holding out the gift to Sakura.

"Haruno-kun; I want to thank you for teaching me English," she stated as Sakura gently took the gift from her hands. Yuki then looked Sakura in the eyes as her blush increased again, "I'd also like to confess my feelings for you."

"Go Yuki-chan!" her friends cheered as everyone – Sakura included – became stunned at the words.

"I've liked you for a while, and seeing how kind and patient you can be when you taught me English really made me want to confess before I left for America, so now you know." She bowed, quickly running out of the room. Sakura snapped out of her daze and clenched the gift in her hands, running after Yuki while everyone from the class followed.

"Hatoba-san!" she called, gripping Yuki's elbow.

"I-I didn't expect a reply, Haruno-kun! Just knowing that you're aware of my feelings is enough," she smiled, though the tears in her eyes said different.

"I'm sorry that I'm not able to return your feelings, but I appreciate that you were brave enough to tell me," Sakura told her softly, letting go of her arm as she looked the girl in the eyes. "You'll find someone else, though. Maybe even an American boy. Just know, no matter how far away you are from Japan, you have friends here who will always remember you. And, I'd like it if you would think of me as one of those friends."

"How nice!" cheered some of the girls while Amu and her Charas, as well as Sakura's Charas, smiled at the gesture. Yuki's tears had begun to fall from her eyes as she sprung forwards and hugged Sakura tightly.

"Thank you, Haruno-kun!" she said in pure happiness, backing away. "Sorry, but I have to finish packing and catch my flight. Bye!" Yuki bid as she ran out of the school building, heading back home. Amu approached Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That was really kind of you," she said gently, offering Sakura a warm smile that the girl ignored.

"Whatever," sighed Sakura; she sat back at her desk and opening the gift Yuki had given her.

Inside, she saw a photo that Yuki's mother must have taken secretly – it was of Yuki laughing when Sakura had told her that she though the Guardians were all freaks, in their own special way, of course, and Sakura looked serious, though had a hint of a smile on her face. Of course she did – Yuki was her first friend in this school, after all.

Placing the photo gently in her bag, Sakura looked towards the window.

{-}

After school, Sakura had told the cleaning staff that she wasn't going to be cleaning the school that day and hurried over to the sports-grounds to watch Kukai playing in his team's soccer match. Unlike the other Guardians, she had decided to lean on a tree a small way off from the pitch, rather than sit with them and eat the food that Nadeshiko had prepared. She cast a glance at them and scowled, hating how easily they could just sit together and support their friend.

"You know, Saku-chan, you could go and join them," Katsumi told her, pointing to the Guardians and their Charas. Setsuko nodded her head in agreement while Mari sat herself down on Sakura's shoulder.

"If I wanted to join them, I would. I may be a Guardian, but I'm certainly not friends with any of them," she told her would-be selves sternly; they all sighed in defeat of their stubborn master. Sakura looked at the pitch again to see Kukai start the game by kicking the ball gently to the boy next to him. Her attention, however, soon fell on the boy sitting at the bench, who had the same aura as the previous two people who gave birth to X-Eggs.

"Saku-chan?" called Mari, noticing Sakura's gaze.

"Stay alert, guys. That boy may hold an X-Egg," she informed them, watching as the boy got up and walked sadly into the small gathering of trees beside the pitch. Sakura watched him for a moment before sighing, following after the boy, just in case he _did_ end up giving birth to an X-Egg. She noticed Amu doing the same, but didn't care.

"Kukai missed his shot," she heard the boy mutter when she caught up to him at last. Seeing Amu, she quickly hid herself behind a tree. "We lost the first goal because of that," he stated, seeing almost happy. "It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with me. It doesn't matter!" he declared at last.

"Katsumi!" called Sakura, holding out a hand when she felt the X-Egg.

"Right!" nodded Katsumi.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Kick off!" the egg cried as it hatched, revealing an X-Chara, "Shoot!" it said, using its power to put the boy to sleep. Sakura guessed that the same thing happened to Yuki. "Pass, pass, pass, pass!" it said to Amu, "Hat trick!" it added, kicking balls of dark energy at Amu. The girl didn't have enough time to dodge, so Sakura jumped in and pulled her out of the way.

"Are you okay?" she asked, seeing Amu look up at her.

"Lonely Heart!" she recognised.

"Hinamori-san!" called Tadase's voice as three Guardians – himself, Yaya and Nadeshiko – came running towards them. Amu instantly lit up.

"Tadase-kun!" she called, but the X-Chara was quickly.

"Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" it called as the Guardians – Sakura included – dodged the attacks. They heard the boy's voice behind it, saying how he didn't care if his team lost because he wouldn't get to play.

"Are you dumb?" asked Amu, standing up. The X-Chara stopped laughing and looked at her in shock, "That's so stupid!" she called just before she transformed with Ran. Buying Amu some time, Sakura stood in front of the Guardians, who were unable to perform a Chara Nari.

"Heart Kama!" she called, her axes appearing in her hands. She slashed at the Chara while it managed to dodge.

"Weave! Weave! Shoot!" it cried, kicking an energy ball at her. Sakura smirked as she jumped up and kicked it back, getting it past the Chara.

"Goal," stated Sakura, placing a hand behind her head. She dodged when more energy balls came towards her and turned around, seeing Amulet Heart ready to fight.

"I saw you practicing on the riverbank, even though you weren't chosen to be a player," Amu stated, "but I guess I was a total idiot for thinking you had it together at the time."

Sakura sighed, seeing that the situation was under control, and approached the unconscious boy, kneeling beside him. She frowned when his face contorted as if he was in pain and she placed a hand under his chin, feeling to see if his pulse was normal. Being the creator of an X-Chara, Sakura was sure that he would have a weaker pulse as he kept the Chara alive, but then she would have a weaker pulse too, if that were the case.

She heard Amu call her special attack, "Negative Heart: Lock on!"

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon. Then you can get back to training and become a regular in no time," Sakura whispered to the boy as she stood and began to walk away.

"Obligado, Amu-chan, and you too, Lonely Heart," his normal Chara called out, focusing his attention on her sneaky get-away. Sakura smiled slightly and continued walked, even when Tadase called out for her to stop.

{-}

Sakura, not back to normal, watched the soccer match as the boy they had saved was call for to sub in. She froze for a moment, but then relaxed again, not know why she would care if he missed his chance to play or not. However, when the boy showed up and took his place on the pitch, she managed to relax completely and sigh in relief.

"Saku-chan, you were worried about him," Katsumi giggled.

"No I wasn't," Sakura sighed, turning and leaving the match – she just hoped that Ikuto had left her some food.

"Denial," Mari and Setsuko said in union.

"Be quiet."


	6. Papa, Can You Hear Me?

Chapter Six

Sakura smiled as she and her three Charas made their way to school, dressed as they usually did. Her mood was better than usual, since her Father was coming home in a week for a month-long visit – it would be the first time she had seen him in six months, and she was preparing a very special meal for him. She had already told Ikuto that he couldn't just turn up as well, while she was setting up his temporary room in the living room, so he was banned from her home for a month and seven days. It took a lot of work, but she knew it was worth it.

No one could ever see the resemblance between her and her Father – since he had dark hair and dark eyes while she had bright hair and eyes. She had inherited most of her features from her Mother – the only thing she shared with her Father her love for travel and foreign cultures. However, no matter how different they looked, they were very close and kept in contact as much as they could, which wasn't much.

Looking towards her shelf – now renamed her 'shelf-of-treasures' – Sakura smiled at the items she had recently added to it. This included the photo her herself and her father, in front of Big Ben, and also the photograph of her and Yuki that the girl's mother had taken. Also on the shelf was a photograph of her mother, in a silver frame, seven months pregnant; as well as this, she had a postcard her father had sent her from his trip to Rome two years previously.

Leaving her apartment, Sakura felt light and happy for the first time in a long while. She arrived at school and went straight to her classroom, sitting at her usual desk and pulling out her books.

{-}

After school, when she entered the Royal Garden, she saw the King, Queen, Jack and Ace deep into their paperwork while Amu fetched tea for them. She quietly placed her bag on the ground and her Charas went to greet the other Shugo Charas and tell them the good news – even though Sakura didn't want it getting around, since most people didn't know that her father didn't live with her.

Securing her blue hat on her head, Sakura stepped forwards and took one look at the paperwork before wincing – there was a lot of it, even considering they had four people going through it. She watched as the Ace's Chair tiredly scooted over a stamped form to the Jack's Chair, who stamped it again and placed it onto the ever-growing pile.

"Morning, Haruno-kun," Amu greeted, since the other Guardians were too busy at the moment. They did, however, look up and offer her a wave. It was a great shock to them all when she smiled back happily, helping Amu with the tea tray.

"Are you feeling alright, Haruno-kun?" questioned Tadase, standing from the table with a frown. Nadeshiko approached her and placed a hand to her forehead.

"Hmm, his temperature's normal," she commented. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed happily.

{-}

"We finally managed to finish," sighed Tadase in relief as he placed down the final folder.

"It's always so much work," Nadeshiko commented.

"I'm tired!" whined Kukai. Sakura approached Yaya with another cup of tea, while Amu offered some to Tadase.

"I guess that regular Guardian work is hectic as well as boring, huh?" Amu laughed nervously, pouring tea for Nadeshiko after giving some to the King, while Sakura stood at a distance and poured some for Kukai.

"Yes, and you two had to suffer through it with us. Sorry about that," Tadase smiled weakly. Amu blushed, but Sakura ignored him, too busy planning out what she and her Father were going to be doing. Of course, she's have to book time off of work – she'd already spoken to the cleaning company she would work for tonight.

"You have to be here, since you're the Jokers," Kukai pointed out, not really caring and just stating a fact.

"And the tea you made is lovely," Nadeshiko added.

"Snacks. I need snacks," Yaya moaned in a very zombie-like way.

"Sorry, I didn't prepare any for today," the Queen's Chair told her nervously, seeing Yaya instantly go into a daze, looking pleadingly towards their hat-wearing member.

"Neither did I," shrugged Sakura, who they were still trying to convince to make another cake, carelessly as she cleared away the teacups. Yaya's need for sugary snacks was going to get the girl hyper, and Sakura wanted no part of turning Yaya even more uppity than she already was.

"Then let's get ice cream! There's a really nice place near my house!" Yaya cheered happily. Sakura shook her head slightly and turned to leave before Yaya latched onto her arm.

"Sorry; I have dance practice tonight," Nadeshiko excused.

"I've got soccer practice," Kukai explained.

"I have something I need to do, too," Tadase said in an apologetic tone. Yaya turned again to Sakura.

"I can't. I have...someone coming over on Sunday evening and I need to get my home ready for them," she smiled slightly. Everyone stared at her and tilted their heads.

"Is that why you've been so happy, Haruno-kun?" Nadeshiko asked with a pleasant smile. Sakura smiled back.

"It's her father," Setsuko stated, floating in front of her owner. Sakura froze and grabbed the blue girl, her eye twitching.

"They haven't seen each other in six months!" continued Katsumi, getting grabbed as well.

"He travels a lot," Mari added as her sisters escaped.

"Saku-kun is very excited to see him!" they all chimed, seeing Sakura going red when the Guardians turned to her. Yaya gasped and tears gathered in her eyes instantly as she hugged Sakura around the waist.

"Is that why you looked so upset when you came over my house? Because your Papa's always gone?" Yaya asked while Pepe's eyes began to water as well.

"That's so sad – dechu!" she stated, wailing.

"It must be strange, just living with your mother," Amu cut in, wondering if she would be able to live the same if it were just her and her Mother.

"I only live with my mother, Amu-chan," Nadeshiko stated. "Though I also have my housekeeper, Baba, around, too," she pondered. Sakura began to scowl, her fists clenched.

"My parents work a lot, so I rarely see them; but I do live with my mother and my father, as well as my grandmother," said Tadase.

"My Mama's usually busy trying to clean up after me and my brothers, and Dad's always working on some new work-out scheme for his soccer team, but one of them is always around," Kukai grinned, thinking of his parents.

"I bet his Mama's a super-cool fashion model!" Yaya giggled. "I mean, he has to get his good looks from somewhere, right? Unless his Papa's really handsome too."

"Maybe his Mama was the one who taught him to bake," Amu added with sparkles in her eyes, imagining a very beautiful woman baking cookies for her beloved son. Kukai's eyes lit up.

"Or, his Mama could be the one who –!"

"Just stop!" Sakura growled. "My mother's _dead_, okay?" she told them, turning and running out of the Royal Garden. The Guardians looked at each other in shock as her Charas followed her out.

"Oh dear," whispered the Queen's Chair, she and Temari looking at the ground in sadness, while Yaya and Pepe began to cry for the 'boy'. Amu and her Charas looked at each other in shock as Tadase and Kiseki stared after the Mother-less Guardian. Kukai frowned, running after Saku with Daichi following behind him.

"Wait, Kukai!" called Amu as she, the other Guardians and the rest of the Shugo Charas joined him. They stopped just outside the Royal Garden, looking all around, but it seemed as if Sakura had just disappeared.

{-}

Sakura sighed, shrugging off her bag and throwing herself onto the sofa when she arrived home. Suddenly, she got up again and walked towards the wall, to a picture of her father in a formal wedding Kimono and a young woman in a wedding dress, two joint flags flying behind them, one Irish and the other Japanese. Tears gathered in her eyes as she traced the woman's familiar face and let her eyes follow the flow of her loose, long pink hair and staring into her deep, bright green eyes.

"Mama."

{-}

"Yaya's the Prima?"

This was the first thing she heard when she entered the Royal Garden the next day. Sakura sighed – knowing that she would get an earful – and walked into view of the other. Luckily, they were too consumed by the fact Yaya was going to be the lead in a ballet recital to pay any attention to her.

"Thank goodness," she sighed in relief as Katsumi and Mari floated to the other Charas. Setsuko stayed with Sakura, tuning into the conversation about ballet and dancing.

"Well, I'm the understudy, so I don't have a choice," Yaya complained, placing her head on the table.

"Besides, I have never heard of a rock having a part," Setsuko, who had been listening as Kukai described Yaya's usual role, commented as she floated forwards. "And anyway, I am sure Yaya-san will perform wonderfully – she would not have been picked as the understudy if she could not dance."

"Yay! Setsu-tan's on my side!" Yaya cheered. Setsuko looked confused for a moment before remembering that 'Setsu' was her boy-name. She sighed slightly – for such a refined female Chara to charade as a boy was simply an insult.

Sakura tuned them out, reaching into her bag. As usual, Yaya's sense of smell was superior to all and she immediately darted forwards, cheering about Sakura making snacks. She had baked some cupcakes with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry icing to make up for yelling at them, though she knew they wouldn't care for an explanation.

Sitting down at the table, in her usual seat between Amu and Kukai, Sakura took out her phone, checking it for any messages from her father. Seeing nothing, Sakura shrugged – he was probably too busy packing to send her any texts or voice-mail. Happy with that thought, Sakura took a chocolate cupcake – it was her favourite – and took a bite.

"Thank you for the cupcakes, Haruno-kun," Temari thanked quietly, eating one of the Chara-sized treats. Sakura smiled at looked at the strawberry cupcake, re-living the difficulty of putting icing on cupcakes that small. In the end, Setsuko had done it.

"No problem, Temari-san," Sakura smiled as the Chara floated back to the others. Setsuko was sat in a very lady-like manner, drinking some tea from one of the cups Sakura had bought – she had even customised them, putting a broken heart, a blue rose or a green swirl on them.

{-}

After school, Sakura rushed her journey back home and was half way there when she ran into someone very familiar. The cat was just sitting in the street, looking as bored as ever, while Yoru was in front of him, marching around as if he were guarding his owner. Reaching in her pocket, Sakura smiled and walked towards him.

"Hey, you lazy freeloader," called Sakura, seeing Ikuto look up at her.

"Are you stalking me?" he asked lazily, yawning. Sakura rolled her eyes and threw a box at his head, knowing he would catch it. Doing just that, Ikuto opened the box and saw six chocolate-iced cupcakes, three human-sized and three Chara-sized. He looked up again and grinned.

"What?" She frowned, not liking the look on his face.

"Isn't it typical for a girl to give sweets to a guy she likes?" he teased, watching her face go red. Yoru grinned along with him as he stuffed one of the cupcakes in his mouth.

"Look, you can either eat them or not. I don't have time to argue with you about stupid things like that," Sakura sighed, leaving Ikuto and Yoru to eat their treats while she hurried the rest of the way home.

"She didn't deny it," Ikuto smirked, biting into his cupcake.

{-}

Sakura, after being begged by Setsuko, decided to drop in on Yaya's practice the following day after school. She found the building easily and walked up the stairs, seeing Yaya in her costume through the door. After seeing such professionals as those in the Russian Ballet, Yaya and the others gave a rather unimpressive performance, but they were still pretty good for their age.

Suddenly, Yaya fell during a turn and was yelled at by a woman Sakura presumed was her teacher. Yaya got right back up and began the dance again, but Sakura could tell she was lacking the right amount of talent for that particular dance – not that she believed she could do any better. It was obvious that Yaya was an understudy and it made Sakura want to see the dance done by the true Prima.

Stepping inside the studio, Sakura instantly regretted ever finding the building when the teacher's eyes fell on her. She knew that she was, by far, the smallest human in the room, and the way the woman was looking down on her didn't help in the least. Finally, the teacher began to laugh as she twirled Sakura around.

"What a perfect little male fairy you could be!" she gasped, taking in Sakura's long legs and slender frame, "And your small height would make you a very fast young dancer!"

"No, thank you," stated Sakura smoothly; she had heard, from Katsumi, the tale of woe and misfortune that Miki informed her about from Amu's visit to Yaya's practice. "I have two left feet," she added truthfully.

"Ah, well, dancing is not for everyone! Then sit yourself next to the other Fairies over there and watch the magic!" she accepted dramatically. Sakura took a seat next to Amu, not missing Yaya's happy smile when she saw that her other pink-haired friend had come to watch her dance.

{-}

Once the rehearsal was over, all of the other dancers left except for Yaya, the teacher and the ex-Prima. The girl was told to help Yaya with the dance, but she only turned to leave as soon as the teacher was gone. Amu, as usual, put her nose where it didn't belong and began to tell the girl how to act when there was a chance of her never dancing again.

Sensing a dark aura around the girl, Sakura frowned. Her eyes went blank and the aura turned into dark energy, which rose from her to form an X-Egg. It floated beside the injured ballerina and Yaya and Amu gasped. Sakura wondered why they didn't feel the aura, but shrugged it off and focused on the egg.

"There's an X on Mai-ti's egg!" yelled Yaya, pointing to the egg. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her eyes widened as she felt a familiar presence outside the building – Ikuto. Not taking the time to ponder why he was there, Sakura turned back to the egg as it began to hatch, revealing a ballerina X-Chara.

"_Un, deux, trois_!" it called, rising above the human girl and letting off a dust that knocked her out. Sakura caught the girl before she hit the floor and looked up at the X-Chara.

"Pretty – cutie – love – Baby!" called Yaya and Pepe as they Chara-Changed. A large, bunny-decorated rattle appeared in Yaya's hands.

"Giant Rattle Attack!" yelled Yaya as the small rattle enlarged. She threw it at the X-Chara, but it just gave the rattle a light kick, sending it sailing back towards Yaya, flattening her. The Carrot-Top then began to wail like the baby she wanted to be. They heard the girl's voice behind the X-Chara and Sakura scowled, looking towards Katsumi.

"Saku-chan!" called Setsuko. "I want to Chara Nari with you for this one," she stated. Sakura nodded, not noticing that she and Setsuko were going to transform at the same time as Amu and Miki.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy.

"I've transformed with Setsuko?" murmured Sakura, looking over her outfit with question all over her face.

"Chara Nari: Amulet Spade!" called the other two – Amu and Miki –loudly. Amu looked over at Sakura and gasped, figuring out the secret quickly.

"Pay attention to the X-Chara, not me," Sakura growled, glaring at Amu's lack of concentration.

"R-Right!" she nodded, turning back to the X-Chara. The small ballerina let lose dark energy attacks that blew Mari and Katsumi away with the gust and Sakura shielded her eyes instantly.

"Setsuko...Any weapons for me?" the Lolita-girl asked her Chara. Setsuko thought for a moment.

"Gunsen!" she remembered. Sakura nodded and held out her hands.

"Rose Gunsen!" she called, blue sparkles appearing in her hands and falling away to reveal a dark blue war fan with iron bars in each hand. Sakura waved one in front of her and, much like her Kama would slice, a gust of blue, sparkling wind came from each fan, blowing the Chara back.

"_Un, deux, trois_!" the X-Chara called, floating forwards and attacking them again with dark energy. Sakura held up her fan and hit the energy away from her and Amu. A large paint brush appeared in Amu's hands and Sakura looked at it, wondering what she was supposed to do with it.

"Colourful Canvas!" called Amu, sending a wave of rainbow-like paint at the X-Chara. Sakura shrugged and a thought came to her.

"Spade! Use that attack again," she said, her mind working a mile a minute as she worked out the rest of her plan in her head.

"Why?" Amu asked as both girls were attacked again by the X-Chara.

"Just trust me!" Sakura yelled, gripping her fans tightly. Amu nodded and took a step forwards, holding her paintbrush.

"Colourful Canvas!" she said. Sakura waited until the attack got close to the X-Chara and send a gust of wind from her fans behind it, strengthening the attack and forcing the X-Chara towards the wall.

"Now!" Sakura told her, expecting an 'Open Heart'. After Amu lectured the X-Chara on not giving up, she did just that and returned the ballerina's Heart's Egg to its rightful place. Setsuko floated out of Sakura as her outfit returned to normal in a burst of blue sparkles.

"You did it, Saku-chan," Setsuko smiled with a small curtsy.

"Thanks to you, Setsuko," she replied. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she looked out of the window, spotting Ikuto. Not really caring why he was spying on her, Sakura waved a little and went over to help Amu console Yaya.

"Ah! Haruno-kun – No, no, no – Err, Haruno...-s-san?" stuttered Amu, looking at the girl who once again looked like a boy.

"Yes, Hinamori-san; I am a girl," Sakura sighed, "Just...keep it to yourself. I know that if Yuiki-san can do that, so can you."

"O-Okay!" agreed Amu, nodding her head furiously, "But...why do you dress like a boy, Haruno-san?"

"It's complicated," Sakura shrugged.

{-}

The following day, Sakura sat between Nadeshiko and Kukai at Yaya's Dace Class' ballet recital, watching her dance with a slight smile. Her father would be arriving in two days, but she had almost everything ready and so she had managed to attend. For some reason, Yaya had begged her to be there, and Sakura couldn't refuse.

"Yaya's so pretty," Amu commented.

"She is," Nadeshiko agreed whole-heartedly. Sakura nodded along with the girl and looked over at the two boys, seeing tears streaming down Kukai's face.

"I never thought we'd see the day where Yaya was the Prima," he stated, clenching a fist and looking at the stage like a proud older brother.

"That's a real exaggeration, Soma-kun," Tadase laughed nervously, "but she really is wonderful," he added, looking at Yaya.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "I guess she is."

{-}

At the end of the show, Amu had attempted to drag Sakura backstage to see Yaya and congratulate her. However, the shorter girl had said she needed to get home to finish preparing for her father's visit and left it at that, not even saying good bye to her fellow Guardians. Her Charas floated around her, Katsumi trying to imitate the dancers, Setsuko complimenting the femininity of the art of ballet and Mari saying how disgustingly girly it all was – even though she had secretly enjoyed it.

"Saku-chan! Is it okay to just leave like that?" Katsumi asked her owner as she twirled again, who was still slightly angry. Sakura sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I can talk to them another time," she stated with a smile. "Anyway, Yuiki-san doesn't need me to tell her how beautiful she was – I'm sure that the others can do a much better job of that than I ever could," Sakura added with a short laugh.

{-}

Sakura woke up on Sunday morning with an ache in her side. Sighed, she knew that she should really stop sleeping on the roof. Climbing back inside her apartment, Sakura remembered the meeting she was supposed to attend that day and walked to her wardrobe, discarding her pyjamas as she pulled out her clothing for that day.

After having a shower and brushing her teeth, Sakura pulled her school uniform, which she was required to wear for the meetings. She checked the time and sighed, walking out of her bedroom. Sakura glanced at the clean, very girly clothes on top of the coffee table in her living room and shrugged, placing them into her dark blue backpack, along with a box of cookies and some Indian tea.

Setsuko, Katsumi and Mari all yawned, floating up beside Sakura as she pulled her usual blue cap over her hair, checking to see if she was boy-like in the mirror before the four of them left. The Charas, still very tied, floated into Sakura's bag to rest during the journey. Sakura had no such privilege, and instead had to walk the distance.

{-}

The pinkette arrived at the Royal Garden just after Kukai, at the same time as Nadeshiko. The three of them and Tadase, who was the first to arrive, were soon followed by Yaya, but Amu was running a little late. Not too concerned about her fellow Joker, Sakura took out the cookies – instantly stolen by Yaya – and the tea she had brought.

"It's a brand from India," Sakura explained, seeing the confused faces of the King, Queen and Jack's Chairs, "I had a lot of it, so I thought it might make a nice change to have a different type of tea today."

"What a wonderful idea!" Nadeshiko smiled, taking the tea happily and preparing it for the group. Mari, Setsuko and Katsumi floated out of Sakura's bag and joined the other Charas on the table. Just then, Amu walked into the Royal Garden with a little girl following her. She picked the girl up and sighed.

"Hi, everyone. This is my little sister," she stated, holding the girl out towards them.

"I'm Ami-chan," the little girl said happily, waving to the older kids. Sakura was just glad that she was no longer the shortest person there.

"She's so cute!" Yaya cheered gleefully, clasping her hands in front of her while sparkles in her eyes. Sakura observed the child from head to toe and scoffed mentally.

"She's _just_ a kid," Sakura shrugged, though no one heard her. The little girl spotted the Shugo Charas, who were all gathered on the table, and instantly ran towards them.

"There's a Super Chara King, too!" giggled Ami happily, staring at Kiseki with stars in her eyes while smirked, placing his hands on his hips.

"I see. So, you intent to worship me as King of this planet," he stated obnoxiously, sticking his nose in the air. "Excellent! I will make you my newest sub –!" He was cut off when she grabbed him and rubbed him against her cheek.

"He's so cute!" she squealed.

"You've made a nice friend, Kiseki," Tadase laughed a little as he looked at his struggling Chara.

"She's my subject!" he insisted, finally being released.

{-}

While the Guardians sat at the table, the ten Shugo Charas kept Ami amused by floating around as she tried to catch them. Sakura smiled, seeing her Charas having a lot of fun playing with everyone, and sighed a little. She was so jealous of little Ami – not a care in the world, and with parents and an older sister who care about her. When she was Ami's age, all she could remember was being raised mostly by an old woman in Africa while her father explored the country.

"Why can Ami see the Shugo Charas?" asked Amu, staring at her younger sister in question, "I thought only Chara Bearers could see them."

"Those children who are too young to give birth to their own egg can also see them," Nadeshiko explained as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Too young?" Amu repeated.

"In other words, they're too young for specific dreams and desires to form," the King's Chair clarified. Sakura ignored him and looked away from Ami, a wistful sigh forming on her lips.

The King Chara began to talk about a secret mission, yelling at Daichi and Pepe when they decided that they didn't want to join in. Her Charas were more than delighted at the thought of a new adventure. When they were about to depart, Tadase told Kiseki to keep an eye on Ami and, feeling a sudden want to protect the little girl spark inside her, Sakura stood up.

"You three make sure you don't go wandering off, okay?" she told her Charas with a firm voice, "And if something happens, you just protect that little girl."

"Got it!" saluted Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari. Amu smiled at Sakura and turned back to the Guardians as her little sister turned to the Charas again. She frowned a little.

"Will they be okay?" Amu questioned, a worried expression covering her face as she watched her sister march off with the Charas.

"Well, they should be, as long as they stay in the Royal Garden," Kukai promised, leaning back in her chair as they began the meeting.

"We'll be reading through these today," Tadase stated, opening a box with papers marked 'My Dreams, My Wishes'. Sakura raised a brow as she took one, skimming it and smiling slightly, with a wince hidden beneath it.

'_My dream is to be just like Haruno-sempai!_' some kid had written in bold, with a list of things they found cool about 'him' underneath. Sighing, Sakura passed it on and Kukai read it, laughing at her while she scowled.

"The school's First Graders wrote them for us," Yaya explained as Sakura picked up another one.

{-}

They were reading through the dreams and wishes of the first graders for a while before Amu finally decided to speak. Sakura placed down her paper, which detailed how one little girl wished she could become a world-famous super hero, and listened to her talk about how the first graders had so many wishes that they wanted to come true.

"Did all of you write one of these too?" Amu asked the Guardians.

"Of course we did!" Yaya replied happily.

"Oh, right. You and Haruno-kun wouldn't have written one, since you only transferred here this year," Tadase remembered, placing a finger to his chin in thought.

"Well, you could both write one now, if you'd like," Kukai grinned mischievously as he nudged Amu and her face suddenly adopted an angry expression.

"N-No way!" she rejected, even though they could all tell that she really wanted to write one. "There's no way I'd write something so embarrassing!"

"What's so embarrassing about your dreams?" asked Sakura with a glare, standing from the table and walking to get more tea. Amu looked at her in shock and her eyes turned to the table in shame.

"Well...nothing, I guess," Amu said, her face showing regret for even speaking her previous words. Sakura scoffed and sat back down, picking up another piece of paper.

{-}

"Alright, we should take a break," Tadase decided, placing the papers back inside the box he had gotten then from.

"Yes! I've been waiting for that!" Yaya cheered. "Cookie time!" she sang as Sakura glanced towards Tadase, wondering if she should fill out a 'My Dreams, My Wishes' sheet. Sighing, she decided to just get it over with.

"Hey, Hotori-san?" she called, getting the King's Chair's attention.

"Yes, Haruno-kun?"

"I was wondering...can I have one of those 'My Dreams, My Wishes' things? I think I want to fill one out," she said, seeing the shock on everyone's face when she asked, "What? I have a dream too, ya know!"

"Sure. I'll go find you one," Tadase smiled, getting out of his seat and searching for a sheet. He came back a moment later, handing it to Sakura and also giving her a pen.

"Thanks," Sakura said, writing her name at the top of the sheet. She noticed Kukai, Yaya and Amu peering over her shoulders while Nadeshiko and Tadase made their attempts to see what she was writing a little less obvious. "Do you mind?" she growled, picking up the paper and walking away from them.

_What do you wish to be when you grow up?_

She thought for a moment before smiling and writing her answer, soon followed by five more questions, and then her biggest wish and dream on the other side of the sheet. As she wrote it, the other spoke about how the first graders would be giving birth to their heart's eggs around that time, since this was when they wishes and dreams would begin to form. Not letting anyone see it, Sakura placed it into her bag and handed Tadase back the pen.

"Everyone!" yelled Yaya, running up to them, "We have trouble! Ami-chan and the Shugo Charas are gone!"

{-}

Sakura had gone to find her Shugo Charas, knowing that it would be pointless to search in the places they disappeared from. She walked outside the school building, looking all over for any signs of her Charas or Ami. She hated that Amu was acting as if having a sibling was nothing but a chore – she would love to have a little brother or sister around.

She looked up, hearing voices that sounded like the Shugo Charas, and gasped when she saw the holding Ami back as she dangled on the edge of the roof, reaching out for a bright red balloon. Suddenly, the little girl fell and Sakura ran forwards, jumping up and catching the little girl, falling on her back while holding Ami close so that the little girl didn't get hurt.

"A-Are you okay?" she asked, wincing at the pain in her back and chest. Ami looked at her with those big, golden eyes of hers and Sakura smiled.

"Onii-tan shwaved Ami-chan..." she whispered, looking at Sakura, "Yay! Onii-tan is swuper!"

"S-Super?" stuttered Sakura as Ami got up, pulling her to her feet. The pinkette was then pulled along by a hyperactive pre-schooler towards a large tree that resembled a dragon somewhat. The Shugo Charas caught up to them and they all stood beneath the tree, Sakura clutching her ribs in slightly pain, but cautious to keep it from Ami – the last thing she needed was the little girl crying because she got hurt.

"It's real – Just like Ami-chan said!" exclaimed Ran.

"The Dragon!" gasped Mari, a grin forming on her face. Sakura, having no clue what they were on about, just went along with whatever they wanted. She was handed a bright green spade and helped them dig up whatever was buried by the tree until they finally dug up a large, egg-shaped capsule.

"That's it?" wheezed Sakura, holding her ribs as she winced. Everyone else seemed amazed by it and, when Ami opened the lid, all they saw was objects that would have belonged to kids. They all picked up something and stared at it all in glee – even Sakura picked up a small red ribbon and smiled.

"Ami," they heard Amu's voice from behind them. Everyone looked over and saw the Guardians behind Ami's older sister, who had her arms crossed over her chest. "You can't just take off like that!" she scolded.

"I sowy," Ami said, making everyone smile.

"My dream...is to be King of the World," Yaya read from a paper and everyone looked towards Tadase.

"Uhh, that is..." he flailed around, trying to think of an excuse.

"That must be Hotori-kun's paper," Nadeshiko smiled.

"Ami, don't go running off again," Amu sighed, "and, you!" she turned on Sakura, pointing an accusing finger, "Don't encourage her! Once you found Ami, you should have come straight to me! Don't...Why are you holding your ribs?"

"Eh?" the Guardians asked, looking over and seeing that Sakura appeared to be in pain.

"Don't yell at Onii-tan!" yelled Ami, standing in front of Sakura with her arms spread, "He shwaved Ami-chan!"

"Y-You did?" the Yang Joker asked in awe.

"Yeah!" Katsumi floated forwards. "Ami-chan was going to fall off of the roof, but Saku-kun jumped up and caught her before she could hit the ground!"

"He allowed himself to get hurt to stop any pain coming to Ami-chan," Setsuko added, a frown on her delicate face.

"So, there!" Mari cut in, sticking her tongue out. "You should be thankful!"

"Drop it, guys." Sakura sighed, turning away. "I'll be fine. It's just some bruising," she said, leaving. A piece of paper dropped out of her bag and Yaya picked it up, about to return it to her when she noticed that it was Sakura's 'My Dreams, My Wishes' sheet.

{-}

"Saku-chan, are you sure you're okay?" Setsuko question cautiously.

"I'm fine," Sakura smiled a little, "and, anyway, the apartment still isn't really ready for Papa yet, so I need to focus on setting everything up. He'll be here tonight!"

_Ring, ring!_

"Ah! That's him!" Sakura grinned, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Hello, Papa! Everything's almost ready for –!"

"_Sorry, Pixie, I can't make it_," his deep, slightly gruff voice sounded over the phone.

"Oh, right. I understand. So, you'll be here tomorrow, though, won't you?" she asked hopefully, her eyes beginning to sting.

"_Not likely. I'm afraid that we'll have to put off the 'mighty return' for a while, Pixie,_" he sighed and she heard someone yelling in the background. "_Okay, well, I have to go now. Bye!_" he bid, hanging up. Sakura pulled the phone away from her ear and just looked at it.

"Bye," she whispered, holding back her tears.

{-}

_What is your biggest wish?_

_**I want to be able to spend more time with my Papa. He's always gone, and I get so lonely being at home all by myself all the time. So, my biggest wish would be for him to be around more, or for him to take me with him when he goes away.**_

_What is your biggest dream?_

_**My biggest dream is to be just like my Papa and travel all over the world. However, I want to travel the world with my Papa, not all by myself. He's the only person in the world I'm close to, and so I want to share my first around-the-world adventure with the most important person to my heart.**_


	7. It's Not A Date!

Chapter Seven

Sakura knew that she had missed the Guardian's meeting, but she didn't care in the least. She just got up slowly and prepared herself for school in her own time, leaving the apartment. Casting a glance at the living room, which was all set out for her father, she sighed and felt tears gathering in her eyes before she wiped them away furiously.

"Saku-chan?" called Katsumi as she approached her cautiously. Sakura put on a fake smile and sighed.

"I'll be fine," she assured them, rubbing the bandages that were wrapped around her chest to support her bruised ribs – nothing was broken, which she had discovered after her neighbour, a very gifted medical-student trying her best to become a surgeon, checked her.

Making her way to school slowly, Sakura entered her classroom and sat herself at her usual desk. Students were still arriving, whispering about how she was there rather than at the meeting like the other Guardians. Her eyes were drooping and she was tired from staying up all night to put her apartment back to normal – she felt sick.

The pinkette, as always, had not allowed her eyes to cry, though they were ringed with red from the many tears that gathered in them. She had made sure that no salty liquid would escape down her face and was proud of her will for remaining strong. It was how she grew up, after all. Amu walked into the room and spotted her, making a bee-line for her desk. She looked angry, though slightly worried.

"Where were you? We were all worried that something had happened!" hissed Amu, her fists clenched. Sakura scowled.

"Don't lecture me, Hinamori. I'm not in the mood for you," she growled, rubbing her eyes.

"You –!" she started, but Amu was cut off by Sakura's Shugo Chara pulling her away.

"Saku-chan's Papa didn't come home last night," Setsuko explained with sadness in her eyes.

"She was up all night...trying not to cry," Katsumi added, her eyes tearing up with the tears her master never cried. Amu gasped and looked at Sakura again, seeing the obvious signs of someone who hadn't slept.

"Her Papa will come home soon, though, right?" she asked hopefully. Mari shrugged.

"He didn't say," she told the Yang Joker. Before Amu could say anything else, the teacher walked in and she was told to take a seat. The Shugo Chara floated back to Sakura's desk as the teacher began roll-call.

"Haruno Saku-kun!"

"H-Here," replied Sakura quietly. He looked over to her and frowned slightly, seeing that she was paler than usual.

"Are you feeling okay, Haruno-kun?" he asked. "I think it would be better if you went home for the day," he suggested, seeing Sakura out of the room. The girl made no complaints, being in no mood to put up with school.

She walked out of the gates and made her way home with her Charas floating along beside her. Once she entered her apartment, she froze – there, in all his lazy-cat glory, was Ikuto. He looked up from her TV and a small frown played at his mouth and brow. The boy went about checking his watch and then looking up at the clock on the wall, as if thinking that time had simply gotten away from him.

"You're supposed to be in school," he stated after a while. Sakura sweat dropped and sighed, sitting next to him.

"I got sent home because the teacher thought I looked sick. Idiot," she scoffed, stealing the remote and changing the channel to a re-run of _Zero Time_. Ikuto took the remote back and turned off the TV. "Do you always break into my apartment when I'm at school?"

"Yes," he replied bluntly. "Didn't you wonder where your food was going?"

"I guess I didn't notice," she shrugged.

"I thought you're father was visiting. Where is he?" he asked, noticing the way Sakura's eyes lowered and she clenched her fists.

"He's not coming," she confessed. Ikuto frowned for a moment before standing up from the sofa with a loud sigh.

"Alright, get changed – something that a girl would wear, preferably," he ordered simply.

"What? Why?" question Sakura suspiciously, glaring at the teenager.

"It's your lucky day – I'm taking you out," he smirked, picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. "Since I'm not allowed in, as my dinner depends on me following the rules, I'll just leave you here, but you'd better be quick with getting changed. Remember – dress like a girl."

Sakura was standing in her room, completely shocked about what Ikuto was doing. Suddenly, Setsuko floated up and smiled, holding out one of the few skirts she owned – which she kept for when her father visited, since he liked to see her wearing girl's clothing once in a while. Frowning, Sakura shook her head and walked to her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of her favourite shorts.

"Saku-chan!" scolded Setsuko, "You have to dress like a girl," she sighed, taking the shorts and putting them back.

"I don't even know why I'm doing this!" yelled Sakura, a blush across her nose while Katsumi floated towards her.

"Chara-Change!" she called, watching as a broken-heart pin appeared in Sakura's hair – since she wasn't wearing her badge. Instantly, her mood changed to a lighter, happier emotion and she began to look for her favourite skirt.

"Got it!" called Sakura, pulling out a blue skirt with black ruffles at the bottom and small black beads sewn into it in a rose-pattern on the left side. She then opened another drawer and picked up a plain blue tank top, pulling it over her head. She then pulled on a pair of black tights and her skirt before tugging a black, girl's hoodie on and zipping it up half-way. Sakura looked in the mirror and tied her hair into Yaya-style ponytails on either side of her head with black ribbons, leaving most of it to fall just below her hips.

"Yay!" cheered Katsumi, seeing how cute and punk-like Sakura looked. The broken heart disappeared and Sakura growled, turning to Katsumi.

"Hey! You done?" asked Ikuto, knocking on the door. Sakura, not having the time to change clothes again, decided that blue and punky was better than something pink and frilly.

"Yeah," she muttered, opening the door. Ikuto looked at her and smirked slightly. "What?" she asked, receiving no answer from the older boy, "What're you smirking about?" she demanded.

"Get your shoes on," ordered Ikuto airily, still smirking as Sakura pulled on a pair of old, black converse. He shrugged at her choice in footwear and opened the door for her, being careful of his violin as she stepped under his arm. "Yoru, you stay here with the girls," he told his Chara.

Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were a bit annoyed that they weren't invited to go with the two humans, but Katsumi and Mari visibly brightened when Yoru asked if they wanted to hear his 'alley-cat' tales. Katsumi was happy because of her crush on Yoru, and the fact he was going to talk to her at length, and Mari was looking forwards to the cool stories he had to tell. Setsuko, interested not in Yoru nor his tales of 'bravery and feline superiority', sighed, settled down beside her sisters, and hoped that Sakura would return soon.

"Where, exactly, are we going?" Sakura asked, looking up at the very tall teenager. He ignored her question and continued to lead her, by the shoulder, towards the town until they reached a small Dango shop. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her favourite treat and Ikuto took her inside.

"I heard from Katsumi that you liked Dango, so I thought I'd treat you," he chuckled, ordering two plates of Dango. When the food arrived, Sakura ate her portion happily, while Ikuto chewed on his slowly, just watching her eat with a slight smile.

After they ate their Dango, Ikuto took her all around the town, through shops and bought her a chocolate milkshake – he had the same. It didn't occur to Sakura that it was her first date until near the end when he was walking her home. They had been out for a few hours before Ikuto decided that he needed to get home, and so he offered to walk her back to her apartment when they ran into two of the Guardians – the King's Chair and the Jack's Chair.

"Ikuto!" yelled Tadase, pointing a finger at the teenager. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm on a date," he stated easily. Sakura froze and blinked, a small blush coming to her face when she realised that she really _was_ on a date with Ikuto – or, at least, just being walked home from her date.

"Oh?" Kukai hummed. "Well, then, we'll leave you two alone," he shrugged, seeing no point in interrupting Ikuto's evening if he's only doing something normal – nothing to do with the Embryo at all. "Wait a minute..." he trailed off, staring at Sakura. "You look like –"

"If you'll excuse us," Ikuto cut in, leading Sakura away with an arm around her shoulders.

"A-A d-d-d-date?" stuttered Sakura, moving away from Ikuto slightly when they were out of Tadase and Kukai's sight.

"Yeah," he smirked. "Did you have fun?" hummed Ikuto, watching as her mind slowly processed what was going on.

"I...I..." she gulped, looking everywhere but him. Ikuto, deciding to see just how far he could push her before she completely freaked, moved in closer.

"Isn't it tradition to give your date a goodnight kiss?" he hummed. Sakura froze completely and backed off.

"B-Bye," she waved, running away from him. Ikuto shrugged, knowing something like that would happen as soon as the word 'date' was suggested; he would talk to her the following day.

"At least she's cheered up," he sighed, knowing that Yoru would find him later.

{-}

The next day, Sakura slowly made her way to school for the morning Guardian's meeting at the Royal Garden. However, as soon as she entered the school building, she heard people whispering about her. The favourite rumour seemed to be 'she had to steal money from some first graders'. Rolling her eyes, Sakura made her way to the Royal Garden, but stopped.

'_The Guardians seem to know almost everything about me,'_ she realised suddenly, narrowing her eyes at the place they gathered. _'It's time to even the playing field a bit.'_ Sakura nodded, turning around and making her way to the records room.

Trying the door, Sakura sighed when she couldn't open it – locked. She turned to her Charas and Setsuko handed her a paperclip out of nowhere, which Sakura proceeded to use to pick the lock. Grinning at her Chara, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, placing her bag on the table in the centre of the room and allowing her eyes to scan the shelves.

"I'll look for Hotori-san and Hinamori's records, since they're both 'H'. Setsuko, you search for Yuiki-san's record, Katsumi, look for Fujisaki-san's record and Mari, you can look for Soma-san's record," she decided, going to the 'H' section and searching through the names until she found Hinamori Amu and Hotori Tadase.

Sakura walked back to the table and sat down as her Charas carried the other records to her, settling themselves down on the table while Sakura opened all of them, randomly choosing a file to read. Her finger fell on Nadeshiko's record, so she pulled it closer and her eyes began to scan over the information inside the file, taking it all in.

{-}

After school, Sakura wandered around the halls aimlessly, staring out of all the windows she past, letting the information she had gained about the Guardians mull over in her mind. It was nothing that she couldn't have figured out on her own – Nadeshiko was a straight A-Student, as was Tadase, Kukai struggled in Maths, but made up for it with his grades in gym, Yaya maintained a B-Average in everything and Amu had a track of B's and C's in all her subjects, winding down to a D in Art.

She sighed heavily, walking past a classroom just as a girl with uneven ponytails strode out, bumping into her. The girl fell to the ground while Sakura stumbled a little, looking down at the person on the floor and offering her a hand. Her Charas watched, amazed and excited, as Sakura attempted socialisation with the girl, however unintentional it was. The girl took her hand and stared at Sakura in shocked before snapping out of her surprise.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked the girl as she pulled her up. This girl was taller than her, unsurprisingly, and seemed almost put-out by something.

"I'm fine!" she replied gleefully, skipping away. Sakura frowned and looked inside the classroom, seeing a classmate of hers named Yamabuki Saya and her ducklings.

"In order to protect our Prince, any deed is warranted!" she gasped dramatically as her followers clapped. Sakura scoffed and leant against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"Is that so?" Sakura smirked, seeing the girls freeze and turn to her slowly, a hint of fear in their eyes when they saw the 'Cool and Mysterious' student behind them. Obviously, girls like these would believe all the rumours about her.

"Ha-Haruno-sama!" gulped Saya, shaking like a leaf.

"I don't like liars, and I know that Hotori-san detests them. We'll just see who he prefers when I tell him about your little fib, shall we?" Sakura hummed, leaving the room with no intention of telling the King's Chair anything. The girl would rather not spend time with the Guardians where it was avoidable. She almost giggled when she heard Saya scream, but managed to contain herself and settle for an accomplished smile.

She made her way outside, looking around at the students in their little gatherings with a twinge of jealousy – all she wanted was one girl friend here, and she'd be happy. Boys were all well and good, but she didn't want to be a girl-of-the-guys; she wanted things to go back to how they were before she moved away from her old Village. She wanted to be accepted. She wanted a friend.

A friend who she trusted enough to reveal her secret, rather than someone who found out and then claimed to be her friend – like Yaya – or who assumed that they were friends – like Amu. Sakura wanted a friend who would insult her as if it were a term of endearment; a friend who would play sport with her on a girls-only day; a friend who could teach her how to look girly and tough at the same time; a friend she could protect; a friend who could protect her. She wanted her old girl friends back.

"What?" she muttered, feeling a dark aura appearing from her left near the edge of the school grounds; she shivered a little. Her eyes narrowed and she ran in that direction, gasping when an X-Egg came into view. Amu ran towards the egg as well, but didn't notice it straight away.

"Ah! It's an X-Egg!" she realised when the girl turned around. Sakura sighed, seriously considering that she may be the only one who can sense the eggs before seeing them. The egg hatched and an X-Chara wearing a wedding veil burst out.

"Love!" it yelled, rising in the air, "Love! Hate!" it said, sending a sprinkle of dust out of its body, causing the girl to fall into unconsciousness. Not wasting any time, Sakura looked to Katsumi and nodded.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Love – Hate? Love – Hate?" the X-Chara asked herself, pulling petals off of a flower, "Hate!" she decided, sending petals of dark energy soaring towards Sakura and Amu – only one of whom had transformed.

"Heart Kama!" called Sakura, her hand-held scythes appearing in her hands in a burst of pink sparkles. She swung them both, cancelling out the dark energy with the red, sparkling slashes.

"Hate, Hate! Hate!" the X-Chara sang as Sakura tried to keep up with the speed of her attacks. One of the energy petals hit the Kama out of Sakura's left hand and the girl scowled as it hit the ground, disappearing in a burst of red sparkles.

"Heart Kama!" yelled Sakura again, calling another one to her hand and trying once more to cancel out all the attacks, but ended up having to dodge most of them. She ran in the same direction as Amu in just enough time to see the girl trip and fall into Tadase's arms.

"Holy Crown!" he called, sending out his defensive attack. Sakura ran behind him and sighed in relief, not having to evade the attacks.

"Tadase-kun, why are you –?"

"Does it matter, Hinamori?" scowled Sakura, "Just transform. You can talk to him later!" she sighed, sending a slash past the 'Holy Crown' to lessen the attacks that hit the shield. Tadase nodded in thanks, focusing on keeping his ability up while Amu transformed.

"I can't hold it," he said, wincing as more dark energy attacks hit the golden energy shield. Sakura sighed and ran out from behind it, attacking the X-Chara directly and drawing her attention away from Tadase.

"How're you ever going to win anyone over like this?" she asked the X-Chara, holding her Kama in an 'X' in front of her, absorbing the attacks. "Being hyper all the time is one thing, but being aggressive about it is just stupid. This isn't even your personality – you're just bitter!" she yelled, seeing the shock on the X-Chara's face.

"Chara Nari: Amulet Heart!" Amu called before running forwards beside Sakura, nodding to her. Amulet Heart then leapt up to the X-Chara's height, holding out her Pompoms to stop the attacks. Sakura, having used a lot of energy to protect Amu and defend both her and Tadase against the X-Chara, fell to the ground as Amu preformed 'Open Heart'.

"Thank goodness," she sighed.

"Lonely Heart," said Tadase, who had already changed back.

"Yes?" she hummed.

"Who are you?" asked the taller boy. "Do you come here, to this school? Was it you we saw on a date with –?"

"Sorry to cut you off," Sakura interrupted, her eyes widening when she felt herself begin to change back, "but I have places to go, and people to see," she excused. Sakura stood and turned, running away from the others as Katsumi flew out of her, too tired to float. The pinkette held out her hands and smiled as the dark-haired girl fell into her palms, curling up to sleep.

"Is she okay?" Setsuko asked as she and Mari looked at their sister. Sakura smiled, pulling out Katsumi's egg from her bag.

"She'll be fine," Sakura assured them, placing the Chara in her egg.

{-}

Sakura walked into the Guardian's meeting the next day and heard them all laughing with each other about something someone said. This was how it was every day; they'd be laughing and she'd walk in late, causing her to feel left out of their fun. Sakura knew it was her fault for being late, though. She sighed, placing down her bag and allowing Mari, Katsumi and Setsuko to go off to find the other Guardians. Everyone waved to her and Sakura nodded back in reply, taking her usual seat between Kukai and Amu.

"I believe now that we're all here, we should discuss this mysterious person who appears to help Hinamori-san fight the X-Charas," Tadase stated, not noticing the way Sakura froze. Yaya and Amu did too, since both of them knew who it was, whereas Kukai grinned.

"Yeah; that Lonely Heart girl is really cute!" he gushed with a laugh, not knowing about Lonely Rose, since Amu and Yaya were the only ones around when she transformed that time. Sakura felt face warm up a little in a blush, but hid it with her hat.

"I believe that she is a student in this school, or at least in one of the surrounding schools. All we need to do is be on the lookout for a girl with a Shugo Chara," Nadeshiko stated. Yaya and Amu once again looked at Sakura and sighed, seeing that the girl honestly had no intentions of telling the three remaining Guardians her secret.

"Soma-sempai and I believe we saw her once," Tadase told them. "She wasn't transformed, so we do not know for sure, but she was about the right height and build, with pink hair and green eyes."

"Where did you see her?" asked Nadeshiko.

"In the shopping district, probably on her way home," Kukai spoke up. "It looked like she was on a date, but you wouldn't believe us if we told you who she was with," he laughed. Before anyone could ask, the bell tolled and everyone packed up to go to class. Sakura frowned.

'_So that's what he was going to say,'_ she realised. _'When he said I looked like someone, he meant Lonely Heart; not Haruno Saku.'_

{-}

Sakura winced when she cut her finger on a piece of paper she had picked up from the floor of the office. Her knees were hurting from scrubbing the floors of the bathrooms and her head was pounding after vacuuming the seventh floor offices, and now she was picking up pieces of rubbish that had been left on the floor by people too lazy to find a bin.

She sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead, while Mari, Katsumi and Setsuko all had a small wash-cloth and were wiping the desks. Sakura smiled, knowing that they were trying to help, but also knowing that she would have to wipe the desks herself afterwards due to their lack of size. She stood from the ground and glanced around the office, stretching as someone walked into the room.

"Evening, Haruno," the boy yawned as he gathered up the bin-bags that Sakura had put by the door for him.

"Hey," Sakura nodded back as he picked up the last bag, taking them all down to the industrial skip outside. His name was Morino Idate, the younger brother of the man in charge of the cleaning agency; after having to repeat his last school-year due to horrible grades, his father had decided that Idate needed to learn responsibility, and so had set him up with a job in his other son's company.

At first, Idate had been nothing but a pain. He acted as if he was the King and never did any work, demanding that everyone had to do it all for him while he relaxed in the forth-floor conference room. Soon, however, Sakura had convinced him to pull his own weight, otherwise he's just be hated by everyone in the agency. From that day, he had taken up the job of collecting and carrying the rubbish bags from all the floors to the skip outside the building. It wasn't much, considering what everyone else had to do, but it was a start.

Sakura finished wiping down all the desks and smiled at her work, leaving the office building and collecting her pay from Alison – an American woman who was in charge of all cleaners in that building, Sakura included. She was a nice enough woman, unless you didn't do your work, in which case she was the scariest person you'd ever meet. The only real bad point about the job was that if you missed work, even once, without a good explanation, you were fired instantly. They couldn't afford for people to take unscheduled days off, especially when there were so few people working that building in the first place.

Looking at the money in her hand, Sakura shrugged. It wasn't a lot, but it was going to pay for her rent that month. She walked the short distance to the train station and bought a ticket back to the station near her school. It took five minutes before the train stopped and she got out, making sure she had her school bag and the bag that held all of her clothing, as well as making sure that Katsumi, Mari and Setsuko were with her.

"Alright, guys, time to get home," she sighed tiredly, rubbing her eyes as she made her way back to her apartment at 9pm. She past a nice-looking street with family houses and smiled slightly, knowing that one day, she would be living in one with her father.

"Ah, Haruno-san!" she heard someone call from one of the houses. Looking up, Sakura saw Hinamori Amu standing on one of the balconies, staring at her in shock.

{-}

"Thank you for the tea," said Sakura to Amu's mother as she was handed a warm up of tea. She sipped at it slowly while Amu stared at her as if she was a strange creature. "What?"

"I'm not used to seeing you dressed like that," Amu said with a slight laugh, pointing at the clothing Sakura was wearing. It was just a plain red tank top with a black jacket – which was hung up in the hallway – and a pair of denim shorts with black and white trainers. She had also braided her long hair.

"Yeah, I had work tonight. I was just on my way home," she explained, taking another sip of tea.

"You had work? At this time?" gasped Amu, trying to stay quiet so that her parents didn't listen in on their conversation.

"Yes; I have to work, or I get behind on my rent and such. My father is always far away, and he can't send me money all the time, so I work a few jobs and he pays for my school-fees while I pay for everything else," Sakura told her easily, finding that it was sort of nice to talk to someone without having to guard everything you say. She glanced over to the six Charas, who were having fun playing tag. "We're not rich, but we can get by," she added with a smile.

"Wow; I-I don't think I could ever do that," Amu stated, looking towards the kitchen, where her mother and father were washing and drying the dishes, then to the stair where her sister had been taken to bed. "How many jobs do you do?"

"Well, I work in an ice cream parlour on Saturday and then I clean offices in a nearby town on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm till 8:30pm after school. Tuesday is when I clean the fourth and fifth grade classrooms, though sometimes I don't have to, and then Thursday and Sunday are for relaxing and homework," she stated, counting off the days on her fingers. Amu's mouth had dropped around the time Sakura began talking about cleaning offices.

"You do all of that and still manage to get good grades at school and do all of your homework?" Amu gaped, pointing a finger at the girl. Sakura shrugged, placing down her empty teacup and standing up.

"Thank your mother for the tea, but I have to get going. If it gets too dark, it'll be dangerous to walk home," Sakura smiled weakly. Amu stood up too and shook her head.

"My Papa can drive you home, if you want," Amu suggested, but Sakura declined automatically.

"I'll be fine," she assured, pulling on her coat and picking up her bags. "Come on, guys. We're going," Sakura said quietly to her Charas as she left Amu's home to walk back to her own. She looked back at the door and sighed, turning down the street towards her apartment.

{-}

The following morning, Sakura was running around getting herself ready for work at the ice cream parlour. She rushed to pull on her dark, denim shorts and a light blue shirt with a white skull on the front. She then fixed her hair in a high braid with two light blue hair bands and rolled her eyes towards her door, dreading what was to come.

"Okay, Sakura, you can do this...again," she gulped. "Setsuko, Mari, Katsumi; you three stay here. I'll be back in a couple of hours and I'll bring you back some ice cream, okay?"

"Okay!" the three replied happily, settling down in her living room. Sakura smiled and pulled on her white, knee-length socks with her blue and white trainers and walked out of the door, down two flights of stairs and out of the apartment complex. Sakura smiled slightly, enjoying the time she got dressed as her true gender when she could just wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She made her way down the street and crossed the road, walking past the temple and coming to her place of work.

"Sakura, there you are!" Naomi, her co-worker, scowled. "Honestly, you were almost late!"

"I'm twenty minutes early," Sakura frowned, looking at the clock.

"Don't back-talk!" she growled, twirling her chin-length, brown, curly hair around her finger as she rolled her blue eyes. Her uniform was the same as Sakura's, but with a slightly shorter skirt. Naomi was seventeen-years-old and relied on 'Daddy' for pretty much everything, but had gotten the job at the ice cream parlour because it was her boyfriend's favourite place to eat.

Frowning at the older girl, Sakura walked behind the counter and checked to see if her boss had arrived yet, but was disappointed to see that he was absent – he would be in later, though. So, until he arrived, Naomi was in charge, not that she didn't act like she always was anyway. She walked into the changing room and replaced the blue hair bands in her hair with green ones before going to her locker and pulling out her uniform.

She slipped on her green, knee-length skirt, which had white underskirts, and her green shirt with bubble sleeves, as well as a white, heart-shaped apron. The girl then fixed her green, frilly headband in her hair and pulled her green dolly-shoes on her feet, stepping in them to make sure they were on right. The girl checked herself in the mirror and smiled a little – while she wasn't a girly-girl, there were occasions where she liked to wear cute clothes, and her uniform was a happy excuse to do just that.

Sakura walked back round to the front of the shop and stood herself behind the counter, waiting for the first customers of the day, while the teenager sat at one of the tables with her feet up, reading a magazine. She turned the page and complained loudly about how an American actress had the new shoes she wanted and Sakura wished she could hit her. The girl was complaining about not having a pair of Italian shoes while Sakura was still living from pay check to pack check at the age of twelve.

_Ding_

"Hello, and welcome to the Midori Ice Cream Parlour. How may I help you today?" asked Sakura, instinctively, when she heard the bell. She had trained herself to be polite to the customers and not to snap at them – as soon as she walked into the shop, it was goodbye attitude, hello pushover.

"I'll take a chocolate double scoop," a familiar voice said. Sakura looked up in shock and then looked back down due to her fear of being recognised. Stood in front of her was Kukai and Tadase, looking as normal as ever.

"And I'll have a single vanilla scoop cone, please," Tadase requested with a smile. Sakura turned to Naomi, praying that if the girl would ever help her out, it would be now, but – typically – Naomi was too busy reading about the latest celebrity gossip.

"R-Right away," Sakura said, turning around and picking up two cones, scooping the chocolate first.

"Hey, your voice sounds really familiar," Kukai hummed, placing his arms on the counter. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, looking at her long pink hair in question as Sakura handed him his ice cream and moved to prepare Tadase's.

"What do you mean, Soma-kun?" Tadase enquired eloquently.

"Think, Hotori. What girl around our age do we know, other than Hinamori, who has pink hair?" he hinted. Sakura paused, knowing that she was half-caught when Tadase gasped.

"Lonely Heart?" he whispered, though not very quietly.

"She does look familiar," Daichi stated as he sat on Kukai shoulder, eating some of his ice cream.

"Maybe I just have one of those 'always familiar faces', y'know?" Sakura assured them, handing Tadase his ice cream. It seemed very natural for her to talk to a Shugo Chara – so natural, in fact, that she didn't realise that a normal girl wouldn't even see him until it was too late.

"If you're not her, then how can you see Daichi?" Kukai asked, catching her out as Sakura bit her lip.

"That'll be –"

"Don't change the subject, commoner!" Kiseki demanded as he floated next to Tadase. Sakura's eye twitched and she re-gained her attitude.

"If you call me a commoner again, I'll take that little crown off your head and stuff it in your mouth, Fake-King," she growled, seeing Kiseki turn to stone when he was called a fake.

"You were the girl who was on a date with Ikuto, weren't you?" Tadase questioned, ignoring his statue-like Chara. The pinkette glared at him, her clenched fists shaking.

"It wasn't a date!" she denied quickly, holding her hands to her mouth when she realised that she had just given herself up. Sakura looked at her boss pleadingly when he came in, and he took over, seeing that his employee was uncomfortable with the customers she was serving.

Sakura walked into the back and sighed, placing her head in her hands and groaning in displeasure. Now, not only did she have to be a Chara-Bearing boy around those two, but a Chara-Bearing, _transforming_ girl whenever they saw her in her girl's clothes. She shook her head and walked back into the shop, bowing to her boss, and taking the order of the next customer. She'd kill Ikuto next time she saw him; it was half his fault that she was recognised.

{-}

Her feet dragged along the pavement as Sakura walked home in her normal clothes, having changed at the end of her shift. She looked down at the envelope she had been given – her pay – and sighed, knowing that she'd have to wait for her next pay check before she could go food shopping, and then she'd have to save again to even think about new clothes; that is, after she'd paid her rent.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, letting go of her thoughts about money and just enjoying the breeze on her face as she walked home. It was around 4pm, Naomi was on the verge of being fired and there was a full moon that night – life was good. She looked forwards and froze – maybe life wasn't so good, if the fact that Kukai and Tadase were standing in front of her was any indicator. They spotted her and nodded, making their way towards the pinkette as she turned away, walking fast.

"Hey there, Lonely Heart," greeted Kukai, swinging an arm over her shoulders as if he were an old friend. Luckily, Sakura was used to him doing this to her when she was a boy, so it wasn't too much of a difference. "Man, you're just as cute when you're in your normal form," he grinned – Sakura was suddenly reminded of the major difference between boy-her and girl-her.

"Stop calling me that," she frowned, twirling out of his half-embrace.

"Then could you tell us your name?" Tadase requested, hitting her with his sparkle-attack. Sakura blinked, completely unaffected. "I'm Hotori Tadase, and this is Kiseki," he began to break the ice, gesturing to his Chara.

"Well, I'm Soma Kukai, and this awesome little dude is Daichi," Kukai followed suit, jabbing a thumb at his own little Chara. Both looked expectantly at Sakura and she blinked again, turning away from them and leaving without giving a word of good bye. Both boys followed and soon came up on either side of her, the three of them looking like a trio of friends.

"Would you two leave me alone?" she scoffed, noticing Kukai frown.

"Now you seem familiar, but in a different way," he acknowledged. Sakura's eyes widened and she walked faster, hoping to ditch them before the older boy could put two and two together. However, they easily caught up and Sakura was forced to use escape tactic number three, taught to her by her former Landlady – a blonde woman with flaming gold eyes and a temper to match – in her old village.

"Look, I told you! I'm not interested in going out with you again!" she yelled at Kukai, seeing his expression become a mixture of shock and confusion while Tadase looked very surprised at her sudden outburst.

"What's going on?" someone's hushed voice asked, informing her of the gathering crowd. Just as planned.

"Please, just leave me alone. You're s-scaring me," stuttered Sakura, putting in a fake sob for effect. She then ran through a clearing in the crowd, but noticed that the people wouldn't let the boys through. She smiled slightly as she made her way home, happy with how the plan turned out.

Kukai's grin widened, more interested in the sly escape-artist now than he was before. All he had to do now was somehow get out of the crowd of people that now hated him – and Tadase by affiliation.


	8. Lost and Found

Chapter Eight

Sakura yawned slightly as she walked to school Monday morning, on time and taking advantage of this by walking slowly. Setsuko and Katsumi were floating beside her, the latter playing with her hair while the former hummed quietly, and Mari was in front of them, as usual, marching in midair. Another green Chara, frillier and far more girly than Mari, passed them and Sakura paused, seeing the Chara stop and turn to them. It was Suu, or Amu-Green, as she used to call her.

"Good morning, Haruno-chan!" greeted Suu, who knew the secret, cheerfully with her bright smile lighting up her face. Sakura smiled back and walked up to Suu, allowing the Chara to float beside her, next to Katsumi.

"Is Hinamori still trying to get ready?" Sakura asked the Chara, who nodded her head as they approached the balcony. "Well, I guess I'll wait for her. We may as well walk to school together, and I'm a little early, anyway," she said. Suu floated up a little, and then turned around, her smile still in place.

"I'll tell Amu-chan that you're here," she informed the girl, floating into Amu's room. Sakura waited outside and ten minutes later, Amu appeared out of the front door with her Charas floating around her. She waved to Sakura and the girls began their walk to school, now late.

'_There goes my first non-late day this week,_' Sakura sighed mentally.

{-}

They arrived at the Royal Garden quickly and sat down with the Guardians, accepting cups of tea from Nadeshiko. The Charas were all talking very loudly to each other and yelling about something – all in good nature, just the usual mocking of Kiseki. Five minutes in, when everyone was seated and comfortable, Tadase asked everyone what they were doing later that day; he wanted, no doubt, someone to do some errands for the Guardians. Amu then started talking about decorating her Christmas tree and Sakura looked up.

"Christmas?" asked Sakura, with a on her face frown, "Is that soon?" she continued, looking around at the Guardians. Living alone, she didn't really need to pay close attention to how close holidays were. Everyone looked at her in shock, but she was serious.

"Are you kidding?" Kukai gasped. "You don't know when Christmas is?"

"Well, I know the date; I didn't realise that it was so close," she shrugged. "It's not like there's anyone at home all the time to remind me. I don't even get a tree."

"You never get a tree?" Yaya asked loudly, getting the attention of all of the Shugo Charas. Sakura shrugged as they floated over.

"I don't even get Christmas presents in the day. I mean, I never really had any friends, and my Papa's never around," she sighed, taking a sip of tea. "It's no big deal," the girl added, seeing their pitying gazes. "Papa brings me my gift when he comes home, and I've gotten used to it," Sakura assured them, standing from the table and walking out of the Royal Garden.

"Never even had a present on Christmas day?" Yaya cried. Pepe did the same and the two wailed loudly, imagining how their Christmas would be with no presents under the tree, or even a tree to put the presents under. Mari, who had stayed behind while Sakura and the other Charas left, cleared her throat loudly; this gained the attention of all of the Guardians.

"You know, since his Papa moves around so much and he used to move around with him, he never spent Christmas with people he knew," Mari told them, knowing all this from talking to Sakura at random point in the days she spent with her. "He barely even spent it with his Papa, since he was off exploring during the holiday. He sometimes got gifts, but not that often, since his Papa had to keep a lot of his money to buy travel equipment."

"That's so sad!" the Carrot-Haired girl sniffed.

"He got used to it. Saku-kun doesn't really expect anything different each year anyway, so it doesn't matter much to him when the holiday is," Mari shrugged and floated out after her owner, leaving the Guardians with something to think about.

{-}

After school, Amu ran to find Sakura, who had left the classroom almost as soon as school finished. She smiled when she spotted the familiar hat, but paused when she remembered that Sakura had to work that night. She focused on what Sakura had told her and remembered that she worked from 6pm to 8:30pm, so that would leave enough time.

"Haruno!" she called, running towards the girl. Sakura turned and waited for Amu to catch up, seeing Yaya and Nadeshiko coming up behind her.

"Yes?" she asked, crossing her arms. Amu and the girls smiled brightly, as did their Charas, while Sakura and her Charas looked suspicious.

"Would you like to come shopping with us?" Nadeshiko invited. "We're shopping for decorations."

"Well...I don't even have a tree," Sakura reminded them. "So, I'd have nothing to decorate," she finished, looking away, _'That and I've never been shopping with friends before. N-Not that they're my friends!'_ she added, quickly.

"That's fine. You could help us pick out decorations for _our_ trees and such," she smiled. Sakura looked at their hopeful expressions and smiled back a little.

"O-Okay...Sure," she agreed, but was stopped from going with them when an arm wrapped around her shoulder. She turned and looked up, seeing the grinning face of Kukai, with Tadase right behind him. "Eh?"

"I'm sure he'd _love_ to go with you, girls, but Haruno's gonna come with the boys this time," Kukai told them, patting Sakura on the head. "I've noticed that he's gone to Yaya's for dinner, talks with Hinamori a lot and I've seen him and Fujisaki hang out once or twice. Never spends time with the boys, though."

'_That was a lie about Fujisaki-san,'_ Sakura thought to herself with a frown,_ 'I've never hung out with her.'_

"So, it'll just be us guys, this time. Sorry," he grinned, dragging Sakura away from them. Sakura allowed him to drag her with Tadase keeping up behind them, the Shugo Charas around their respective owners. Amu, seeing that Sakura really didn't want to go with just the boys, stepped forwards.

"Why don't we all go together?" she suggested, happy with the relief that spread over Sakura's face.

{-}

Sakura stood by the entrance of the shop, her eyes downcast and her arms crossed over her chest. Katsumi was having fun helping Ran pick out decorations, just as Setsuko was doing with Miki and Mari wasn't killing Suu for her girlish tendencies, so that was good. They looked like they were having so much fun – and this gave Katsumi a chance to show off her decorating abilities for a change. It made Sakura feel bad that she didn't have the money to spend on a tree and decorations.

She watched as Kukai showed Daichi and Tadase a soccer ball-shaped tree ornament and then her eyes drifted down to Kiseki, who was dressed up like a very royal Santa. Yaya and Pepe were searching through the cute, pink ornaments and Nadeshiko and Temari were holding more intricate decorations that suited their personalities. Amu was too busy finding stuff for her sister while keeping an eye on her Charas.

The girl looked down the road and considered just leaving. She felt very out of place amongst everyone who was getting into the spirit of Christmas while she was still trying to pay for her living fees with minimum wage. Closing her eyes, Sakura put up a nonchalant facade and looked again at everyone in the shop as they paid for their choices and walked towards her, each hold at least one bag.

"What now?" Kukai asked.

"I have to get home," Amu sighed. "My family and I are going to decorate our tree, remember?"

"Right; and I also need to go home for dance practice before I begin decorating; isn't that right, Temari?" Nadeshiko asked the purple Chara, who nodded with a slight giggle. Everyone said their goodbyes and moved to go home when Mari noticed a certain green, frilly thing missing.

"Suu?" she called out, floating away from everyone to see if she could spot her fellow green Chara. Seeing the motherly Chara chasing after a group of cats, who had stolen her bag that held her tree ornament, Mari growled and floated towards them.

"Give it back, please!" Suu asked loudly in her sweet voice as Mari flew past her and grabbed the bag from the cat, only to have it snatched by Yoru.

"Oho! Re-enforcements, eh?" he sniggered, throwing the bag to another cat with a laugh while Mari glared at him. "Alright, give it back," Yoru said, watching as the cat dropped the bag. It fell into the seat compartment of a motorcycle and Suu dove after it. Mari, realising where she was, flew down to get Suu out, only to get trapped when the compartment was closed.

"Oh no – desu!" cried Suu as everything became dark for them.

"No worries, Suu. I'm here and I can get us out in no time!" Mari stated, her voice seeming even scratchier when compared to Suu. She floated up and began to push on the seat, but nothing happened.

"Never mind," the more girly of the two suggested, noticing the aura of Mari change to worry. "We'll get out when it stops, right?"

"Y-Yeah," agreed Mari, "I g-guess so," she nodded, waiting for the vehicle to stop.

{-}

"Say 'hi' to Ami-chan for us," Nadeshiko requested as the Guardians split up to go their separate ways. Amu nodded while Sakura yawned, walking away without a second 'goodbye', or even a first, for that matter. She lazily looked over to Katsumi, who was glowing after having so much fun, and Setsuko, who looked reluctant to leave Miki before they finished their conversation.

"Hey, do you think I'm mean for not getting a tree?" Sakura asked them, looking down. The Charas looked at her in shock and floated to her shoulders.

"Of course not, Saku-chan," Katsumi told her.

"What made you think that?" Setsuko questioned with a small frown.

"I don't know. I guess that, since you looked like you were having so much fun with Amu's Charas...I was thinking that maybe you would prefer to be with someone who could give you more," she sighed. "What do you think, Mari?" the girl asked, turning around to where the thought Mari was.

"Mari!" Katsumi yelled for her sister as Sakura began to look around in a panic, spinning to see if she had missed Mari and was being silly. There was no green Chara in sight and she bit her lip.

"We have to go back and look for her," Sakura said, beginning to head toward the shop where she last saw Mari.

"But, Saku-chan!" the red-Chara called out to her, "If you don't go to work, you'll be fired!"

"I don't care! I need to find her!"

{-}

"One, two, three...Now!" called Mari as soon as the compartment opened, taking Suu's hand and pulling her up into the sky, away from the vehicle with a sigh.

"We were finally able to get out of there – desu," Suu said in relief, clutching her bag tightly so that she didn't drop it.

"Umm...Suu?" said Mari, getting her attention.

"What is it – desu?" she asked when Mari pointed out in front of them.

"Where are we?"

{-}

"Mari!" Sakura called, running through town. She looked down an alley, but saw nothing resembling the small, black-haired girl. "Mari!" she called again.

"Mari!" Katsumi and Setsuko called, hoping to find their sister. Sakura gulped and stopped in the middle of the street, looking all over and spotting someone very familiar.

"Amu!" she called, catching up to the girl. "Have you seen Mari?"

"No, and Suu's gone too!" Amu said back, her worry showing through her tone as she looked Sakura in the eyes. "Does that mean that they're together?"

"Maybe," Sakura nodded. "I guess it would be better if they were. Mari would protect Suu from anything dangerous and Suu can take care of Mari as well, right?"

"Yeah, she good at that sort of thing," Amu agreed. "At least they'd be a little safer. I'm gonna keep looking."

"Same," said Sakura, "Tell me if you see Mari, and I'll tell you if I find Suu anywhere."

"Alright, thanks," the girl nodded.

"No problem," Sakura assured as they both ran off in different direction, Amu down an alley and Sakura up the street. She stopped and saw another person she knew. "Ikuto!" she called, catching the boy by the shoulder.

"What is it? Are you still stalking me?" he yawned, but turned serious when he saw her worried, almost scared, expression.

"Have you seen Mari in the last half hour?" she asked him, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"No, I haven't. I'll tell you if I see her," he promised, beginning to walk away when Sakura caught him by the arm and stopped him.

"Hinamori's lost her Chara as well; the green one, Suu," she told him. "If you see her, let Hinamori know. She's just as worried about them as I am," Sakura said before turning and running down the street.

She continued searching for another twenty minutes, stopping to catch her breath at a flower shop. Sakura looked around, just in case Mari was there, but came up short, as usual – no height comments, please. She shook her head and was about to take off again when she caught sight of the clock. It was 5:50pm and she had to be at work in ten minutes. There was no way she would make it on time so, rather than waste time by going to work and getting fired, she set her mind on finding Mari.

{-}

Mari and Suu floated along unfamiliar streets, their stomachs growling with hunger. While the tougher of the two could go on for another few hours, due to her personality, Mari knew that Suu was almost ready to drop to the ground and never want to get up again. She was a determined little Chara, she'd give her that.

"I'm so hungry that I can barely move any more – desu," Suu complained before she was hit by a thought. "No! I must not give up! The Christmas tree is waiting for me to decorate it – desu!" she said loudly. Mari smiled a bit and shook her head, taking the bag from Suu.

"If you were tired, you could've just asked me to carry the bag. At least then you only have to transport yourself," Mari explained, holding the pink bag as she floated along beside her fellow green Chara. "Now, which way should we go?"

"Hmm..." Suu considered, looking down each way on the split-road before coming to a conclusion, "Of course! In this situation, there's only one thing to do – desu!" she claimed as a whisk popped into her hand. She placed it on the ground, facing up, and let it go, allowing the whisk to fall and roll. "Perhaps we'll try this way first!"

"You trust a whisk to tell us directions?" Mari sighed, but followed Suu all the same.

{-}

"Oi!" someone called. Sakura turned, her face brightening when she saw Ikuto in all his gothic-clothed glory, standing not three steps away from her.

"Did you find Mari? What about Suu?" she asked quickly, closing the distance without noticing.

"Take it easy, stalker," he sighed. "Both of them are in the next town over, or so I heard. You should rest and go look for them tomorrow."

"I...But –!"

"No. The trains don't run this late, anyway. You do realise that it's around midnight right now, don't you?" he asked, looking up at the moon. Sakura looked at her watch and realised he was right.

"Don't worry, Saku-chan!" Katsumi grinned. "Now that we know where she is, we can look for her tomorrow!"

"Yes," Setsuko nodded. "Although, I wish we had known sooner. Now you'll have to search for another job, also," she added with a sad look while Sakura shrugged.

"Jobs come and go. Mari is way more important," she told them, turning and heading to her home. "Thanks, Ikuto," she smiled before running home. Ikuto stared at her for a while before shrugging and leaving as well.

{-}

"Achoo!" Suu sneezed. "It's getting rather cold," she commented, looking at the other Chara, whose face was set in front of her, "M-Mari-chan?"

"Shh. I'm trying to find somewhere warm for you, Suu," Mari told her, frowning slightly as she sniffed.

"B-But you're getting sick too – desu!" the worried girl stated while Mari's frown deepened. She turned to the cook and breathed out a little, sighing and shaking her head.

"I can do this. I have to do this," she said. "I'm the part of Saku-chan's personality that wants to be strong enough to help people who need it, so this is just what I do."

"R-Really?" asked Suu, "My sisters and I thought that Sakura-san just wanted to be physically strong to defend herself – desu," Suu told her honestly. Mari looked at her and sighed, shaking her head again.

"There's a lot about Saku-chan that no one understands. She has an outer character she wears around people to protect herself," Mari informed the girl as they continued to float around. "She...Well, we need to find somewhere to stay, so I'll tell you later."

"Alright – desu," she nodded, looking up. "Ah! What a majestic home!" Suu noticed as the two floated to an open window. Mari looked around and shook her head.

"This is Yamabuki Saya's home. We should leave," she said, holding the bag in one hand as she took Suu by the wrist and pulled her away.

"How did you know that – desu?" Suu asked curiously while Mari shrugged.

"Yamabuki Saya is the type of girl that approaches Saku-chan with party invites, just so that she looks cool by not being afraid of her – even though she shakes like a Chihuahua every time she goes near her," Mari scoffed as the two continued down the street. "There was a picture of house on the invitation, so that she can flash around her wealth."

Suu, half asleep by now, wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into a large, fluffy white dog. It turned and stared at her while Mari placed herself between the Chara and the dog, just in case it was vicious or hungry and fancied some fluffy Chara for dinner. Suu shook and stuttered out an apology to the dog for bumping into it, but the dog just took a step forwards and licked her cheeks before pressing his nose to Mari's forehead.

"Good boy!" Mari cooed, suddenly very friendly, as she rubbed behind the dog's ear enthusiastically. Suu watched in amazement as the girl grinned, still stroking the dog. "I have _always_ been a dog-person. Meeting Yoru just backed up my belief that dogs are better than cats."

"Oh?" Suu hummed, approaching the dog and petting his head gently; a gentle smile lit up her face when his tail began wagging from all the attention. She glanced at his collar and gasped when she saw that the name and address of his owner was too worn out to read, "Oh my! He's lost too," she stated, getting Mari's attention.

"No way!" gasped the other Chara, "Who wouldn't pay attention to this big ball of fluff?" Mari growled, thinking of the owner. "Well, we'll just have to look after him until his owner comes to find him, or until someone finds us," she nodded, happy with her decision and sitting on the dog's back. "You don't mind, do you boy?" she asked, pulling Suu along behind her. The dog shook his head and they trotted along.

{-}

Sakura sat on the roof of her apartment, staring not at the sky, but in the direction of the town Mari was in with Suu. She sighed heavily and frowned, knowing that it would be dangerous to go out looking for her this late at night, or early in the morning, if you wanted to look at it that way. She climbed down and into her room, curling up on her bed with Katsumi and Setsuko in front of her.

"I really miss her, guys," Sakura confessed, looking towards the green egg and thinking of her Chara. She looked away and a tear fell out of her eye.

"Well, we know where she is!" Katsumi said quickly to dry Sakura's tears. "And anyway, Mari's the tough one, remember? She'll be fine!"

"Yes, but while she is definitely the toughest, she's with Suu," she said. "Mari has the type of personality I wanted where I could protect people, so if Suu is in danger, Mari could get hurt protecting her. That's what I'm worried about."

"Oh, yes. That would indeed seem to be the most likely situation," Setsuko nodded. "However, you must also remember that Mari inherited your love for travel and navigation, as is evident by the compass around her neck. She'll be mapping out her location as she goes, memorising possible safe places in case of any danger that may occur."

"Mari's just smart like that!" Katsumi added, flashing a wide grin.

{-}

As Setsuko and Katsumi knew, Mari had indeed been mapping out the location in her mind and had memorised a location in the park that would be perfect for settling down for the night with her, Suu and the dog. She led them there and the dog lay down in the grass, in the light just in case his owner or someone found them. Suu and Mari curled up in his fur, happy.

"So warm and fluffy – desu," Suu commented sleepily as she fell into her dreams of being back at home with Amu, Ran and Miki. Mari looked at her and stroked the dog lovingly, her eyes closing.

"Don't forget me, Saku-chan," she muttered, falling asleep.

{-}

The Haruno only-child awoke the next morning with no intentions of going to school. She grabbed a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt with a black and white, striped shirt underneath. Afterward washing and dressing, she pulled on her black trainers and a blue baseball cap, but didn't tuck her hair into it. While dressing like a boy was the usual thing, if she was caught out of school as 'Haruno Saku' she would be in trouble.

"Saku-chan!" called her red-Chara, "You need to put on your uniform and go to school," Katsumi scolded with a frown as Sakura reached for the door.

"No," she said simply, walked out with Katsumi and Setsuko following her.

{-}

"Thank you for yesterday, Doggy," Suu smiled. "Without you, we wouldn't have slept so well – desu,"

"Yeah," Mari agreed. "But now we need to find our owners. Really, if we find Hinamori or Saku-chan, we can all get home," she thought, petting the dog's head. She and Suu were sat, side-by-side, atop the dog's fluffy skull, between his ears, while he was holding the paper bag that held Suu's decoration.

"What's that – desu?" Suu asked, pointing to a brown, leather wallet in front of them. She floated to it and looked at it. "Someone must have dropped it," she said, trying to pick it up. "It's heavy – desu!"

"Can you get it, Doggy?" Mari asked. The dog barked and approached the wallet, putting down the bag and picking it up. "Thanks, boy," she smiled, petting him on the head.

"Let's drop it off at the local police station – desu," Suu suggested, sitting on the dog again, next to Mari. The tougher Chara led the way. Having memorised the location the previous night, and they were off, leaving behind a certain pink bag.

{-}

"Mari! Suu!" called Sakura as she walked through the town, on her way to the train station. She was looking around, just in case Mari had managed to find her way back. She frowned as Katsumi and Setsuko perked up.

"It's Ran!" Katsumi realised, looking around for where she felt the Chara's aura.

"And Miki is with her, along with a group of other Charas," Setsuko said, also looking. They spotted the pink and blue Charas they were looking for and floated over to them. "Hello, Miki. Are you looking for Suu?"

"Yeah; what about you?" said Miki, "Did you find Mari yet?" Miki asked her friend while Setsuko shook her head. Ran was having a similar conversation with Katsumi and Pepe was popping between the two while Temari, Kiseki and Daichi seemed confused.

"How do you know them, Ran, Miki? Pepe?" asked Daichi, rubbing the back of his head. The three named girls froze and realised that Daichi, Kiseki and Temari only knew them as Katsu and Setsu, Mari's brothers.

"W-Well..."

"They're my Charas," Sakura said, stepping forwards.

"Ah! You're that Lonely Heart girl!" Kiseki recognised instantly from the day they went for ice cream. "But...Why're you looking for the green commoners?"

"Easy. Mari, Katsu and Setsu are friends of Katsumi and Setsuko," she lied easily, gesturing to her Charas. "They're pretty close and I've met Haruno-kun once or twice, so I decided to help them search for him. Katsumi and Setsuko also know Suu, Miki and Ran through Haruno-kun's Charas. That's how they know Pepe as well."

"Well, that makes perfect sense," Temari nodded with a small smile. "Now we need to work hard! Find the green Charas! Go! Go! Go!" her evil personality shrieked, scaring the other Charas to death and greatly amusing Sakura.

"Come on. I think they're this way," she said, pointing down the road.

{-}

The Green Charas rode on the back of the dog as they moved away from the police station, thinking of how the policeman was going to be confused after finding a lost wallet on his desk with no one around who could have put it there for him. Mari yawned and relaxed on the dog's back, only to spring up with wide eyes when an X-Egg bounced past them.

"Suu!" yelped Mari, "Did you see that?" she asked as the other Chara nodded.

"Let's catch it – desu!" she said. "Come on, Doggy! After that egg, please!" she asked as the dog sprang forwards after the X-Egg, which was happy to jump away from them even faster.

"What're we gonna do when we catch it?" Mari asked, holding onto the dog's fur so that she didn't fall off.

{-}

Sakura and the Charas had made their way to the next town, where Ran and Miki found Suu's bag. They showed it to the others and they knew that they were on the right path to finding Mari and Suu. They could only hope that the two would be okay. Sakura looked up the road and nodded, leading the way for the Shugo Charas to follow her, which they did.

"We're coming, Mari," Sakura muttered, stopping at the corner of the next street.

"Commoner!" Kiseki called, floating up beside Sakura. She turned to him, hands on her hip, and scowled a little.

"What have I told you about calling me that?" she growled. He was about to reply, his usual haughty expression in place, but Sakura interrupted him. "Look, you Fake-King! We do _not_ have time to argue about social status! You can either give me some valid information or shut up!"

"...Yes, ma'am!" saluted Kiseki, his eyes full of awe. "I apologise for calling you a commoner. Surely, one of your commanding-tone-of-voice must be nothing short of a princesses or a queen! I will aid you in your search, my Lady!" he promised, his eyes becoming stars at the sight of someone he believed to also be of royal standing.

"Whatever..."

{-}

The dog barked as it continued chasing the X-Egg through the streets and into the park, with both Mari and Suu holding onto his fur. He stopped when a teenage boy with a cat Chara by his side caught the egg, stopping it from going any further. He brought it to eye-level and stared at it before looking down at the dog and the two Charas.

"You're..." Suu began, not quite recognising either of them.

"Ah! You two're still here – nya?" Yoru asked in shock at seeing them still away from their owners.

"Yoru!" growled Mari, "I'll kill you for getting us lost!" she threatened, floating up from the dog and glaring at the cowering Chara.

"Ikuto!" called Yoru, "We need to take care of that egg before we get into trouble – nya," he told his owner, trying to distract his own mind from the many verbal and non-verbal threats being dealt out to him by the green Chara.

"Yeah, you're right," Ikuto agree, holding the egg tighter.

"W-What're you going to do to it?" Suu asked, afraid for the egg all of a sudden – Ikuto was, after all, a rather intimidating person.

"We're going to destroy it, of course – nya," the Cat Chara stated easily, as if it were an everyday thing.

"No! You can't!" Suu panicked instantly.

"That's some kid's dream!" Mari yelled. Both girls flew forwards and Mari bit Ikuto's hand while Suu took the egg. They both flew back to the dog, holding the egg protectively while the canine growled at the cats.

"Give it back – nya!" Yoru demanded, flying towards them, only to fly back when the dog barked at him. "That's not fair – nya!" he commented.

"We will not let you harm this egg!" Suu said stubbornly, hiding it from their view between her and the dog while Mari floated next to her.

"Stop interfering," Ikuto, with cat ears on his head and a tail swishing behind him, allowed his hand to become a giant cat's paw with claws extended. Suu shook in fear, still protecting the egg, while Mari stood in front of her to stop Suu from getting hurt.

"What're you doing, Ikuto?" a smooth girl's voice came from behind the boy and both Mari and Suu looked up to see a very pretty blonde girl. "There's no need to Chara Change to fight two little opponents like them."

"Who're you calling little, blondie?" Mari yelled, shaking a fist at the girl.

"She's pretty," Suu stated, staring at the girl. She stepped down beside Ikuto, who still had his paw with claws out.

"An X-Egg should not exist," the girl said airily. "Let's destroy it quickly so we can get out of here," she added as Ikuto changed back to a normal teenager – or as close as he could get, at least.

"You mustn't destroy it," Suu told her, hoping to change her mind, but the girl just smirked.

"Oh? So you know of a way, other than destroying it, to deal with those X-Eggs then?" she laughed nastily.

"If Amu-chan were here, I'm sure she could do something!" Suu replied.

"Yeah!" agreed Mari, "And Saku-chan, too!" she added, seeing the girl's face turn to shock.

"You're the Shugo Charas of Hinamori Amu and Haruno Saku?" she asked, a frown on her face. "Well, that's even better," she mused, her evil smirk falling back onto her face. Bat's wings appeared on her back and she held out her hand, sending a red sparkling dust towards the egg. It froze and pulled back to her, bringing the egg with it.

"No!" Suu cried when the egg landed in her hand.

"We only need the Embryo," she told her. "All other eggs are worthless," she smirked. Suu got all worked up and began yelling at her while Mari considered her words.

"All eggs, meaning Chara Eggs, too," she said, floating a little closer to the girl and looking at her wings. "But, I can tell that you have at least one egg as well, so that would mean your Charas are obsolete, along with every other Chara in the world. Yoru, Suu, Katsumi, Ran, Setsuko, Miki, me...every one of us could just disappear,"

"Mari?" Suu called, wondering what she was doing.

"So, do you care so little for your own eggs that you could just carelessly wish them away, just because they're not the Embryo?" she finished, seeing the scowl on the blonde's face. "Do you care at all?"

{-}

"That voice," Sakura muttered as she, Setsuko, Katsumi and the other Charas – with the exceptions being Miki and Ran, who had gone to find Amu – ran towards the place she heard Mari. When she got there, she saw her Chara, as well as Suu, a blonde girl, Ikuto, Yoru and a dog. Across from her, Amu, Ran and Miki appeared.

"Is that...?" Katsumi whispered, seeing the back of the green Chara.

"Mari!" Sakura called, her Chara turning around, _'That's...Ikuto. And she's...I know her from somewhere...'_ she frowned, looking at the blonde as Mari floated over to her and Suu returned to Amu. "What's going on?"

"Long story short; we got lost because of Yoru, found a lost dog, came here following an X-Egg and now that hag's going to crush it!" Mari told her quickly, pointing to the blonde in question. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she nodded.

"Okay, let's Chara Nari," she nodded, seeing Mari's shocked expression. "You can do that, right?"

"R-Right!" she nodded.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura called, holding her hands in front of her heart and twisting them. Mari flew towards her, punching her fist into her palm as her egg closed around her and she flew into Sakura.

Sakura's whole form was covered with green light and her hat came off, her hair floating around her. Light formed around her torso, and she brushed it off and leaving behind a green, cross-strapped top that tied at the back on her neck with darker green patches all over it. Green sparkling light wrapped around her lower half and she brushed that away too, leaving her in a pair of darker green, khaki shorts that folded at her thighs. Her knees and down then got covered in light and she kicked her feet, throwing off the sparkles and leaving knee-length rainbow socks and green leather boots.

As soon as that happed, she ran her hands over her arms from her elbows down, leaving green arm socks of differently shaded stripes, as well as three green bangles on each wrist. She punched her fists in the air as a cord formed through green light around her neck, leaving a green compass hanging there, and green and yellowed swirled goggles, in the same style as Mari's, appeared on her eyes, which she pulled down to her neck. Her hair pulled itself up into long ponytails on either side of her head and a green headband appeared in her hair. She blinked when a large, green and yellow swirl attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Fighter!" she and Mari called at the same time, punching to her left, kicking to her right and then finally falling to the ground with her tongue stuck out.

"Way cool!" Sakura grinned, looking over her outfit. "But, so not the time to be gushing about it," she remembered, looking at the blonde again and trying to remember where she'd seen her. She glanced over at Amu and saw that she had transformed with Suu, forming Amulet Clover. Amu glowed green, distracting the blonde long enough for the egg to escape and float up.

"Let's go!" Amu called to Sakura, who nodded and they both called their weapon of choice.

"Fighting Tonfa!" called Sakura, a pair of green Tonfa appearing in her hands in a blast of green sparkles. "Ah, I love my weapons," she smirked, seeing Amu's lame excuse for a weapon – an average, though much decorated, whisk.

"Remake Honey!" called Amu, sending a squirt of honey out of the whisk, which cleansed the egg. Sakura watched as the girl was about to leave, and stopped her by blocking the way, holding her Tonfa defensively.

"I knew I recognised you, Hoshina Utau," Sakura smirked, finally able to remember the girl from her TV, "A pretty voice, but a scary face. It's no wonder a hag like you is working for those responsible for creating X-Eggs,"

"Hag?" ground out Utau through clenched teeth while Ikuto tried not to smirk at the name. "What do you know, you brat?"

"Well, for one thing, I've always been very good at foreign languages, so I know that," Sakura retorted quickly. Utau, not prepared for such fast quips and remarks from a girl Sakura's age, huffed and turned around, looking like she was going to leave the girl with a similar hairstyle before she turned again suddenly, letting another red dust attack sail towards the younger girl.

"Take that!" she yelled. Sakura held her Tonfa in front of her, crossing them in front of her chest, and caught the attack, sending it back twice as strong. Utau gasped as it hit her, sending her backwards to the ground. She got up and scowled at the pinkette, this time actually turning to leave.

"Hag~," she muttered again in a sing-song voice, knowing Utau heard it. Mari floated out of her and sighed.

"Well, we got to fight the hag, and the look on her face was priceless!" Mari laughed loudly.

"At least the egg was returned to normal," Sakura said, smiling at Amu as she turned back to normal as well. She looked down when she heard a bark and her eyes lit up, seeing a dog by her feet. Ignoring everything around her, she dropped to her knees and began to rub his belly while Katsumi and Setsuko told Mari how much they missed her.

"Eh?" she heard someone say as she felt stares on her back. Turning, Sakura saw all of the Guardians staring at her, while only Amu and Yaya knew who she really was.

"What? I like dogs," she shrugged, standing up and walking away from them with her Charas following her. Once she was out of sight of them, she sighed in relief. "That was way too close."


	9. Ski Trip, Christmas and Sensing Ikuto

Chapter Nine

Sakura's eyes lit up as she stepped off of the coach and looked at the frozen wonderland around her – it reminded her so much of Finland. Everyone was wording their awe of the place, with the exception of her and Kukai. After being told they were going somewhere with lots of snow, Sakura had packed the proper clothing and was currently wearing a dark blue snow jacket with a white jumper underneath, a pair of black sweats with her blue trainers and a blue ski cap.

"Viva resort training camp!" Yaya cheered, jumping up in the air. Sakura's Charas, in their usual boy's clothing, popped out of her bag and grinned at the view, gasping. They floated down to the snow and fell back, just enjoying the cold on their backs until Pepe dumped snow on Katsumi and started a snowball fight.

"So, where's this place we're staying, Kukai?" asked Amu, turning to their sempai, who grinned back. Yaya pointed to the largest resort before Kukai moved her finger to the temple at the base of the mountain. Everyone began to complain, but Sakura's eyes lit up more.

"Can we really stay there?" she asked happily, interrupting Amu's rant about ghosts and such. Kukai looked shocked to see how joyous she was to be staying there, but soon perked up again.

"Yep! My grandpa owns the place," he nodded, proud that he'd managed to make 'the human statue', as 'he' was known by some, smile that brightly. "Let's go skiing," he hummed happily, ignoring Amu calling him names for making them stay at the temple.

{-}

Sakura sat at the base of the mountain, sipping a cup of cocoa, which Nadeshiko had been kind enough to buy her, and reading '_Lake Of Heaven_'. It was a wonderful book by Ishimure Michiko – a tale of the people, culture, and environment of a Japanese mountain village that was sunk in order to build a dam. She was half way through the second chapter when she felt someone staring at her and looked up to see Kukai.

She looked back for a moment before she waved at him and he just turned around and headed to the lift. Wondering briefly why he would star at her and then run when she tried being friendly, Sakura decided to let it go. Shrugging and dismissing it as a boy-thing, Sakura turned back to her book and was about to turn the page when she over-heard two girls talking.

"The ice-rink here is fantastic!"

That was all she needed to know.

{-}

Kukai grinned as he finished his first trek down the mountain and looked to see if Saku had come to his senses and decided to join them yet, but was surprised to see him looked very content with reading. The boy had thought that no one could resist the cold glory of the snow, but he was proven wrong. Saku looked up and waved, but Kukai could seem to wave back and so, rather than make a sorry attempt at saying 'hi', he just got on the lift.

Sighing as he was lifted in the air, Kukai looked back and frowned when he saw Saku getting up from his seat and heading further down the hill. Shrugging, he just pushed it aside as a Saku-thing and prepared himself for another 'run' down the mountain.

{-}

The pinkette grinned as she stepped onto the ice in her skates. She knew that some resorts in Japan had ice rinks, so she had brought them along – as well as a few tighter items of clothing so that she didn't trip – just in case she had any ice-time. Luck was on her side and, while she was bumbling klutz on a snowboard and anything but a pro when it came to skiing, Sakura was confident in her ability to figure skate.

It was something her father had her learn from a young age, as a constant and because her mother had been a figure skater in her spare time. Neither mother nor daughter had the skill and ability to take to any professional contest or group, but it was something they both enjoyed and were relatively good at. After years of training and practicing, Sakura was happy and comfortable on the ice, doing something that connected her to her mother.

She skated forwards and smiled, reminding herself to deepen the outside edge before using her toe pick and sending herself momentarily off of the ice into a triple Lutz. She felt the air rush out of her lungs as she landed and moved straight into a toe loop. Sakura used her toe picks to stop herself and she looked across the ice again before easing herself back into skating.

{-}

A few hours later, Sakura sighed as she made her way to the edge of the rink, worn out by skating after having done no practice in months. She took off her skates and smiled, going to the changing rooms to change back into the outfit she came in before walking back to the temple. It was an hour before sundown, and she and the others had been told to be back before dark.

She slid open the temple doors and bowed in respect to Kukai's grandfather before going to the room she was sharing – with the boys, due to everyone thinking she was one – and placed down her bag. She then walked back to the main room and knelt in front of the temple owner, looking around to see if the others were arriving.

"Sir; is there anything I can do to earn my keep here?" she asked the old man, bowing again to him. He brightened up.

"My, my; such a respectful, obedient young man!" he applauded. "If only my grandson was more like you, then I wouldn't be disgraced," he smiled at her, causing Sakura to laugh nervously at how easily he spoke of Kukai's failure. "If you could be so kind, the roof needs scrubbing."

"No problem," Sakura grinned, happy to do something close to the sky. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a bucket and an old rag, going to the outdoors well and filling the bucket before making her way slowly to the roof. Sakura looked up at the sky and her eyes brightened. "Beautiful," she gasped as she looked out at the setting sun.

Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were all in her room, sleeping after a long day out, while the others had apparently forgotten their curfew and were going to be in serious trouble when they got back. Sakura finished her chore in good time and dropped from the roof with her bucket and rag, throwing out the dirty water onto the snow and going back inside where the others were being scolded.

"Ah! You see!" Kukai's grandpa pointed as Sakura walked back into the room and everyone turned to her. "This young man came back two hours ago, spent a short amount of time resting and immediately came and asked if there was anything that needed doing. He has spent the past hour and a half cleaning the roof!"

"Grandpa! That's dangerous!" Kukai frowned. Sakura shrugged.

"I really don't mind all that much," she told them. "It was fun," the girl smiled, walking into line with them and kneeling down. "Is there anything else that you need doing?"

"Much, but I don't expect you to be doing any of it," he smiled at her. Sakura nodded and bowed in respect before standing and walking back to her room, pulling out her book from earlier and settling down on her futon, listening to the others having fun while still getting the chores done.

After ten minutes of reading, Sakura was getting annoyed at all the noise. She glanced at her Charas and saw that they were eyeing the doors and windows, itching to join in the fun. With a loud sigh, Sakura closed her book and opened her bag, pulling out a mini-telescope and climbing out of the window as soon as she heard everyone on the other side of the temple.

"You guys can join them. I'll be on the roof," she told them, as if dismissing a team of soldiers. Her Charas cheered and floated to the other Guardians, leaving Sakura to climb up onto the roof with her telescope between her teeth. When she got up, she relaxed and opened the space-spying instrument, looking through it at the moon. "How lovely," she muttered.

Her eyes fell on the Guardians as they rounded the temple again, stopping just below her to catch their breath. It appeared that Nadeshiko had won their little cleaning race, but only due to a Chara-Change and Temari cheating at the end by dropping a banana peel in front of Kukai. The five of them, along with their Shugo Charas and Sakura's three little would-be-selves, sat on the steps outside, just talking.

"How nice for them," Sakura whispered. "Even when I _am_ in a collective group of people, I'm still on my own," she sighed, her eyes drifting again to the stars, wondering if her father was watching the same sky. "I...I miss you, Papa..." she muttered, falling asleep.

{-}

"Hey! Haruno!" Sakura awoke to the sounds of people calling her name. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, and stretched with a wide yawn before dropping herself off of the roof, landing on her feet behind Kukai.

"What is it?" she asked, causing him to jump up a little at her sudden, unannounced appearance, "What do you want?" she continued. He turned slowly and saw her sleepy face, questions popping around him.

"W-Where were you?" he asked, looking around for somewhere she could have slept. He eyed the snow stuck to her back and then looked up, seeing a small part of the roof that didn't have snow on it any more. "You slept on the roof?"

"I do so quite often at home," she shrugged. "So, what did you want?"

"Erm...Dinner's ready," he told her with a smile, leading her back inside to where they had put the food together. Just by looking at the spread, Sakura could tell that Suu had more than a hand in the preparation. She took a seat next to Amu and began eating slowly; taking small bites of rice and fish, letting everyone else have their fill. Kukai's grandfather watched her with a raised brow, but didn't say a word.

{-}

The following day, everyone went to the slopes again, with the exception of Sakura. She just saw them off and climbed up to the roof of the temple, gazing at the clouds as they passed by. Her Charas had gone with the others – Sakura had let them go, knowing that they would just get bored hanging out on the roof – and she was alone, for the most part.

"No rain, no snow, nowhere to go," she sighed, laughing a little. Her father, when they were stuck in an airport in Africa, had said exactly that. They were supposed to be getting on a plane to America for the Fourth of July celebration, which Sakura had wanted to see, but their flight was delayed. Her father was upset because the weather was wonderful, yet they had to stay in the terminal all day.

"Perhaps you should find somewhere to go, then," an old voice called from below her. Sakura crawled to the edge of the roof and smiled down at Kukai's grandfather. "Come down here, young man. I have something to show you."

"Of course," Sakura nodded, climbing off of the roof. The old man led her round the back of the house to an old, closed well made of stone. "Sir?" she asked, not sure what he wanted to show her.

"This well has been here for over a thousand years, you know," he began, taking a seat on the porch. Sakura sat next to him. "It was in use for a while, but in the end it dried up and had to be closed to stop people falling in. Many say that it's useless and should be torn down, but do you know why I keep it?"

"No, sir," Sakura replied, shaking her head.

"Because it belongs," he stated simply. "It may not have much of a use, and it may be ignored most of the time, but without that well, this temple would be incomplete. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"I don't think so," she said, getting hit over the head by a bamboo stick.

"Then listen! You are like the well," he sighed, seeing her face turn to surprise at the concept. "While you may believe that you are useless or that it would be better if you weren't here, would my grandson have invited you to this temple if they believed you didn't belong? Of course not!"

"I...I think I understand," Sakura smiled, getting to her feet. "Thank you for your wisdom, sir," she bowed, walking back around the temple and looking up at the roof before sighed, going to her room and picking out her skates and a more suitable outfit.

{-}

Sakura skated around the ice rink for a few hours, but her heart wasn't in it like the previous day. She sighed and let herself skid to the edge, taking off her skates and changing back into her normal clothing. The old man's words were floating around in her mind; she knew that he made sense, but she still didn't feel like she belonged with the Guardians.

The girl left the building and looked up at the mountain, seeing people having fun as they came back down. She didn't see much point in it, really – they travel all the way up, taking time out of their day, only to ski back down in half that time. Shaking her head, Sakura walked back towards the temple, passing a snow-model contest on the way. She smiled as she looked at the entries and people making their sculptures, but was shocked to see a group of five people working on what seemed to be a castle.

"They...They're doing just fine without me, it seems," Sakura frowned, seeing how much fun they were having. She then placed herself in that picture and everything turned from fun to awkwardness. Tears stung her eyes as she turned away and walked back up the mountain. "I'm not the well. I'm the rain that turns the snow to slush."

{-}

"What?" Kukai yelled at his grandpa, "What do you mean 'he's not back yet'? I thought that he was going to spend the day here, or at least come back before us!"

"Well, I am slightly concerned," the old man confessed. "He seemed very distant since arriving, and the way all of you are completely ignoring him doesn't help matters."

"Ignored him?" Nadeshiko repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Going skiing without inviting him. Setting off after breakfast without think about waking him to see if he wanted to join you. Going shopping, to the hot spring and even entering a contest," he listed. "Why did you invite him here, if all you were going to do was exclude him?"

"W-We didn't mean to," Amu said. "It's just...he's not..."

"Not the friendliest person around?" he finished for her. "Just because someone acts anti-social, doesn't mean they don't want friends. I've seen how he looks at all of you. He's jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Yaya asked, tilting her head. "He's one of the most popular guys in school."

"But how many _friends_ does he have?" questioned the old man.

"Well...N-None, I guess," Tadase admitted, looking down. "I suppose we should have included him more."

"Or just not have invited him at all," Kukai's grandfather said bluntly. "I'm sure that one exclusion from all of you would have been less painful that being forgotten and ignored and overlooked during a holiday away from home."

No one had anything to say to that and all were ashamed of how they had unintentionally mistreated the Yin Joker. He had done nothing against them, and yet they were all, as the old man had said, overlooking him. They couldn't imagine what it was like, having to look in from the sidelines while everyone else had fun without. It would have been so lonely. Yet, he still did not complain or speak up, so they wondered just how lonely he felt at home as well.

"I'm back. Sorry I'm late," Sakura called as she walked through the door, kicking snow off of her boots as she walked inside.

"Saku-kun!" her Charas called, rushing to hug her. Sakura was slightly shocked that they did, since they were almost acting like she had fallen off the face of the Earth and then suddenly re-appeared out of nowhere.

"How was your day, Haruno?" asked Amu pleasantly, her cheeks twitching as she tried to hold a smile. "Perhaps you want to join us for skiing tomorrow?"

"I can't," she told them. "Besides, don't you have a sculpture to build?"

"How did you –?"

"I saw you," she said, cutting off the King's Chair mid-sentence. "And anyway, I didn't come here to ski. The fact of the matter is; I can't ski at all."

"Then why did you agree to come, Saku-tan?" Yaya asked, approaching the girl-in-disguise as she smiled.

"To have fun with you guys, I guess," she sighed. "Don't worry, though. I didn't have such high expectations," the girl shrugged. "I'll be out of your way by tomorrow, so don't bother with any breakfast for me. My bus leaves at six in the morning,"

"Bus?" Nadeshiko asked in shock. "What bus?"

"My bus home," she smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm just not the type of person who likes these holidays at ski resorts. Besides, I have lots to do back home. So, thanks for inviting me, but I'm going to be leaving early."

"Are we really that bad to you?" Kukai asked, stepping forwards and taking her by the shoulders. "Do you really think that you can just leave and we won't feel bad? If you felt excluded, you should have said something!"

"What was I supposed to say?" Sakura asked, glaring at the older and much taller boy. "You were all having plenty of fun without me and I didn't want to ruin it for you. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll have even more fun once I'm gone, so just leave me alone."

"Stop telling us not to worry," Kukai said loudly. Sakura blinked and sighed, shrugging him off and walking to the room she was sharing with Tadase and Kukai.

Sakura quickly picked up everything that belonged to her and packed them in her travel bag, taking out a pair of pyjamas and leaving her toothbrush at the top for that evening and the morning, as well as a change of clothes. Tears came to her eyes when she stuffed her skates into the bag and she hiccupped, shaking her head before the tears could fall.

"Saku-chan, you know they didn't mean to leave you out," Setsuko said, placing a gloved hand on Sakura's cheek.

"I know. I don't hate them or anything – I expected this to happen," she sighed slightly. "I only agreed to come because you guys would enjoy it. The only time you're really having fun is when we're doing something, or when you're with the other Charas. It would be unfair of me to be selfish and stop you guys from having a blast here."

"But, Saku-chan...If you didn't want to come, you didn't have to," Katsumi told her genuinely. Sakura just shook her head.

"If you want to stay, you can. Just catch a ride back with Hinamori and the others, and you can ask her to drop you off at my place when the weekend is over – it's okay," she smiled, picking up her bag and carrying it to the hall, placing it down so that it would be easy to get to the following day.

"Haruno, dinner's ready," Kukai told her slowly.

"Thanks. I'll be there in a second," she said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her head. "Would it be okay if I left Setsu, Katsu and Mari behind? They really love it here, and –"

"So do you," he interrupted. "I've seen the way you are here; you're more relaxed, in a good mood and you love disappearing in the middle of the day and then coming back before us to gloat about how you're not in trouble, even if you didn't really gloat. You don't have to leave."

"Soma-san, this place isn't somewhere I belong. It was nice of you to invite me, but...Never mind," she shook her head. "You said dinner was done, right?"

{-}

"I guess this is what you call a broken heart?" Sakura heard Amu say as she walked outside early in the morning. She had woken up quietly, leaving the boys and her Charas asleep as she got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face and got dressed. She frowned and approached the girl.

"A broken heart, huh?" she voiced, causing Amu to jump. "Come on, if your heart was really broken, you'd be dead."

"Don't joke about it!" Amu yelled, tears in her eyes. Sakura looked up at her and shook her head.

"No, really. Heartbreak is a stupid expression for it," she stated. Amu looked at her for a moment before laughing at Sakura's seriousness. "What? I'm not kidding."

"I know, it's just...somehow, you don't believe in anything that doesn't make complete sense," Amu said when she stopped laughing. "Heartbreak isn't a medical condition when used in the context of love."

"Then what about love-sick?" she hummed. "Surely, there's a cure for that. I mean, really. Why would you want to fall in love if it makes you sick?" the girl continued, causing Amu to laugh again. Sakura smiled a little and then Amu caught sight of the bag next to her.

"You're really leaving?" she asked, looking Sakura in the eyes. She nodded, all traces of her smile gone. "What about the girls?"

"They're staying," Sakura told her. "I didn't wake them up, so they can't follow me. I want them to stay because they're having so much fun here. It wouldn't be fair of me."

"You mean like we weren't fair to you?" Amu questioned, looking at the snow by her feet. "I'm sorry about that. If we hadn't ignored you..."

"I'd still be leaving," Sakura cut in. Amu looked up at her with wide eyes. "I was telling the truth when I said that this wasn't really my kind of place. Well, I do love ski resorts and being in the snow, but being around the rest of you is not somewhere I belong. Be honest, if I was around, would you have been completely relaxed?"

"Of course!" Amu replied immediately. Sakura looked at her blankly and the girl sighed. "Probably not. You're very intimidating, Haruno."

"That I am. Which is why I'm leaving, so you can enjoy your entire trip, rather than just the time you're all away from me," she smiled. "I have to go – my bus will leave without me if I don't get there in time."

"Have a safe trip," Amu bid.

"Only if you look after my Charas for me," Sakura replied, picking up her bag and walking away.

{-}

Sakura sighed as she found a seat at the back of the bus. Her eyes fell on the temple again and she saw Yaya, Kukai and Tadase sneaking out towards the snow sculpting contest. They wouldn't realise that she left until lunch, at the earliest. Sighing again, Sakura placed her bag under her seat and prepared herself for a long journey home, all by herself.

{-}

Monday came sooner than Sakura expected and her Charas would be returned to her in school by Amu. Sunday had been very lonely, but she had anticipated it after getting so used to having Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari around her all of the time. After being fired from her highest-paying job, Sakura was stuck as to what she could do for rent money, let alone food and clothes.

She shook her head of the thoughts and carried on walking to school, huddled up in her thick blue winter jacket. She had left her apartment in good time and so would arrive at school a few minutes before she would have to go inside the classroom. This left her with time to walk slowly, which she took advantage of with glee. It was nice to feel the ice-cold breeze on her face.

As soon as the school building was in sighed, Sakura's good mood turned almost sour. She wasn't looking forward to seeing the Guardians, since she had left without a word to anyone except Amu, but knew that it didn't really count. All that she could look forward to was seeing Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari again after a day without them.

"Saku-chan!" three cute voices cheered as soon as she entered the room. So as not to appear crazy, Sakura walked to her seat before hugging them all, concealing it as if she was just pulling her arms closer for warmth.

"Hey, Haruno," Amu greeted, "We didn't win the contest, but we got 'Best Effort' from the judges," she told her with a smile. Sakura nodded and the teacher came inside, beginning a long lecture about how their holidays started in a week and how they should be careful.

{-}

One week later, there was still no luck for a new job and her teacher was still using the same lecture each morning, though now it had changed to 'your holidays start today' and so on. She sighed as she watched Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari play with Ran, Miki and Suu. She and Amu, meanwhile, had to suffer in boredom during the whole speech.

Sakura went into the town after school, searching for a job to replace the cleaning gig she was fired from. She didn't blame Mari for it – after all, the green Chara didn't force her to miss work to look for her. Either way, she was down on the rent and needed a steady job that was more lenient with days off. Walking into a shop, she approached the counter.

"Excuse me, do you have any work available?" she asked the person behind the counter.

"Sorry, all of our positions are filled."

"Thanks anyway," she sighed, knowing that the rest of the day would probably end up the same, but she had to try anyway.

{-}

Sakura sat at home, going through the paper for any nearby jobs that she could do after school. It wasn't looking good, but she had to keep trying. Suddenly, she received a text from Nadeshiko, telling her to come to the Royal Garden the following day for the party. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. She didn't want to go, but her Charas were looking forward to it.

_Wouldn't miss it_

She sent the text and sighed, falling back into the sofa as a familiar boy let himself in the door. Sakura waved lazily as he made his way to her fridge, his Chara going to annoy Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, who were getting their small gifts for the Charas ready for the next day. Before he could scare them, his vision was obscured by three gifts being held up to him.

"Huh?" muttered Yoru, looking at the presents – each of the three gifts was wrapped in red, blue or green paper with small fish on them. "Are these for...me?"

"Yep!" Katsumi smiled, placing his present in his hands.

"Since we are friends, of sorts," Setsuko stated, putting her gift gently on top of Katsumi's.

"So just take 'em, okay?" sighed Mari, dropping her gift for him on top. Yoru's eyes watered and he grinned, ripping open the paper to find a small, hand-made present in each. From Katsumi, he had a pillow for his egg. Setsuko had stitched him a blanket with an identical copy of himself sewn into the corner. Mari, being the least girly of the three, had only managed to create a small card, which all of them signed.

"Thanks, guys!" Yoru cried, hugging them all at once. Mari complained while Setsuko just waited for the hug to end and Katsumi hugged him back.

"Presents for Yoru, huh?" Ikuto asked as he came back, carrying a tub of curry with a fork in his mouth. "What about me?"

"You've been eating any present you'd ever get from me, creep," Sakura stated, crossing her arms and turning away as he sat next to her.

"Saku-chan's just shy!" Katsumi giggled as she floated towards them. "She did make you a little something for Christmas, but I guess she wasn't planning on giving it to you!"

"Shut up!" Sakura growled. Setsuko and Mari got an idea and floated into her room, picking up the gift, and floating back, dropping it on Ikuto's lap. Sakura was so busy strangling Katsumi that she didn't notice until he had already opened it.

"It's kind of nice, I guess," he commented, observing the wooden doll. It was a small black cat – supposed to bring luck when given as a gift. Around its neck Sakura had painted a piece of holly and, though half of it was slightly distorted and the berries looked a little like pom-poms, she had obviously worked hard on it.

"W-Well, if you don't like it, I'll just take it back!" she frowned, reaching out for it, but Ikuto pulled it away and she fell onto him. "Hey!" Sakura yelled, sitting up and huffing.

"I never said I didn't want it, little stalker," he laughed, seeing her cheeks flush in anger.

{-}

The pinkette had dressed herself in a red jumper and black combat trousers with a red ski cap to attend the party. She had also baked some Christmas tree shaped cookies and was really looking forwards to the party, despite how she had felt about it before. However, as soon as Sakura arrived, she wanted to turn around and leave again. No one had mentioned costumes.

"Saku-tan!" a bunny-Yaya sang as she bounced towards her, carrying a costume that Sakura assumed was for her. Amu and Kukai were reindeers, Tadase was a lion and Nadeshiko was a female Santa. Sakura didn't even want to imagine what Yaya had gotten for her, but took the costume so that her Charas believed she was having fun.

Sakura didn't say a word as she placed down the cookies and went to get changed, only to emerge five minutes later dressed as a tiger. As soon as Kukai saw her, he burst out laughing, soon followed by Amu. Nadeshiko was polite enough to cover her giggles and Tadase just seemed to sympathise with her while Yaya was sparkling with joy.

"Yay! Yay!" she cheered.

"Why a tiger, Yuiki-san?" Sakura sighed, tugging at her tail.

"Because, though you might be the smallest out of all of us while the tiger is the biggest natural feline in the world, you are definitely like a tiger!" Yaya began, acting as though she was an expert on the matter. "You are the hunter that will viciously attack his prey while defending his pack – that's us!"

"Who? The prey or the pack?" Sakura growled as she ran towards Yaya, who took off running. "Get back here, Rabbit! I'll cook you for this!" she yelled as Yaya laughed in joy.

"Hey, now!" Kukai called to get their attention. "Everyone's wearing a costume, Haruno. This is a party, not the perfect crime scene."

"Of course it's not the perfect crime scene. Too many witnesses," Setsuko commented from her place with the Chara, who all looked at her in shock while Sakura nodded in agreement. She was handed a party-popper and they all stood around her.

"Now it's time to party for real," Kukai grinned. "Ready and..."

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" they all called, popping their poppers. Sakura smiled as the food was served around them and Yaya pulled her to dance while both of them had cookies in their mouths. Amu transformed a lot – with Miki for music, with Suu for serving food and with Ran for singing. The last one had Tadase blushing and Sakura hated to admit it, but she had fun.

{-}

On her way home, Sakura frowned when she felt a dark presence. She halted her steps and ran towards the place she was sensing it from, stopping when she saw many musicians, all of them seeming very depressed. She could, for some reason, clearly see the saddened heart's eggs inside them and it came as no shock to her when they became X-Eggs.

What did shock her was when Ikuto, with cat ears and a tail, jumped down from a tree, staring at her. She jumped to the conclusion that he was responsible in her brain, but her heart didn't want to admit it. She knew they were enemies when it came to the Embryo, but he was a nice enough guy and, deep down, she didn't believe he was capable of doing this.

"Ikuto! What's going on here?" Sakura asked, approaching him. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, yelling at her, but Sakura couldn't hear a word he was saying. All she could do was continue to approach him, step by step, until she was right next to him.

"I said stay back!" he yelled, but even though she heard it, Sakura didn't listen to him.

"This wasn't you. It couldn't have been," Sakura said out loud, though mostly to convince herself of his innocence. Ikuto's eyes widened further, but his shock turned to anger and he summoned his claws, lifting it in the air. "You wouldn't."

"Haruno! Move!" Amu yelled as she came into the area. Sakura snapped out of her denial and jumped out of the way, just as the claws came down on where she was standing. Her eyes widened and she looked at Ikuto in disbelief. She had been talking to this boy only a few hours ago and now he was attacking her.

"I-Ikuto," Sakura muttered, looking up at him. He looked ashamed as he disappeared, sending dark energy blasts towards her and Amu to stop them from getting near him. The eggs disappeared along with him.

{-}

Nearby, a certain evil teacher observed the scene with a contemplative expression covering his face as he observed Sakura. He grinned slightly when he noticed that she had arrived before he even managed to summon the X-Eggs, meaning that she had a very special ability indeed.

"She can sense the aura of someone with a darken heart, just like I can," he mused to himself. "This'll be something to tell the boss."


	10. Men Don't Faint!

Chapter Ten

Sakura looked around her apartment. It was blank, in a way. Sure, it was furnished and the colour scheme – white – wasn't something that made her want to be sick, but still. Blank. Sighing heavily, the girl shrugged and shook her head of the random thoughts running through her mind, looking over to her sleeping Charas. Sometimes they made this place seem colourful and bright, but she could never do that on her own.

She looked outside and saw the snow, smiling brightly as she climbed onto the roof. The cold air bit her cheeks and her breath showed in front of her, the frost of winter quickly turning her cheeks and nose the lightest of reds. Sakura was still searching around for a job, which was more difficult due to the holiday season, but she wouldn't give up just because it was hard. If she did, then she would have no chance of becoming a world-famous explorer, or even a traveller, like her father was.

Her rent was due in a week and she could only pay for half of it at the moment, but that might be enough for a down-payment if she managed to find a job before the end of January. Otherwise, even with her two jobs, she wouldn't be able to afford the apartment. Sighing her worries away, Sakura felt snow land on her cheek and she looked up, seeing the white flakes fall from the sky like dancers, twirling in the wind.

_Ring-Ring_

"Hello?" Sakura greeted, picking up her phone.

"_Hey, Saku-tan!_" sung Yaya's voice over the phone, "_Why weren't you at school today? As a Guardian, you were supposed to come in to help; even in the holidays!_"

"I've been busy. Don't worry; I'll be back by next week, if you still need my help," she said, wondering if that was all Yaya wanted.

"_Okay! Anyway, did you hear about the New Year's Concert? I've got six tickets and I wanted you to come along with us," _she stated and Sakura could hear her grin. The pinkette blinked twice and her eyes dulled, thinking that the call might have been about something more important.

"You mean the concert that all those bands are going to be in?" she questioned with a slight yawn. "No thanks, Yuiki-san."

"_Please!" _she begged over the phone and Sakura sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Fine, but only if you stop begging," Sakura replied, listening to Yaya as she explained the time and day they were going to meet to go to the concert. Her only regret, as she hung up the phone, was that she would have to pretend to be a boy.

{-}

Dressed in a pair of baggy black jeans and a black, long-sleeved jumper with a dark blue shirt over it that had a picture of a musical crochet on it, as well as a pair of black and white trainers, Sakura was ready to go. She looked over to Katsumi, who was primping herself, and nodded happily. Setsuko didn't want to go, since concerts had a tendency to be overly loud, and Mari was too tired to go, so it was going to be her and Katsumi, or 'Katsu', as they knew her.

Sakura looked at her watch and sighed, knowing that she would have to go if she wanted to get to the concert hall on time. She cast one last glance at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She reached out and took a dark blue hat from the stand by her door, twisting her hair up into it.

"Let's go!" she smiled, pulling on a grey body warmer.

{-}

"Ah! Saku-tan!" Yaya called to her as Sakura approached them.

"Hello, Yuiki-san," Sakura smiled, "Hey, everyone."

"I can't believe we're going to see DARTS!" Yaya giggled, clutching her hands tightly to her chest as she squealed.

"So, they're the new flavour of the month?" she asked the most sensible girl there, that being Nadeshiko.

"It would seem so, wouldn't it?" the girl smiled softly.

"Well then, are we going to go inside or are we just going to listen from out here?" Sakura asked them, seeing their faces fall.

"Not quite," Amu sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "We're still waiting for –"

"Hey, everybody!" a scarily familiar voice called to them. Sakura turned and her eyes widened when she saw her teacher, but chose to say nothing, since she really didn't have a comment. "Sorry I'm late!" he said before falling down in the crowd. Sakura sighed.

"Is he really that clumsy?" Katsumi whispered to her owner, who shook her head slightly.

"It looks more like he's faking to me," she muttered back so that the others couldn't hear her. They made their way inside and Sakura wished that she didn't come, seeing it so packed with people. She gulped and stuck close to Yaya, who seemed perfectly at home in the big crowd.

"We'll go to get the snacks!" Yaya announced, pulling Sakura away by the arm towards the food.

"Popcorn, please!" Amu yelled and the others agreed, handing Sakura their money, since they didn't trust Yaya with it – only because she would drop it, though. They got to the snacks and waited in line before buying everyone some popcorn.

"Hey, Yuiki-san," Sakura frowned as Yaya skipped away with her popcorn, leaving Sakura to carry everyone else's. Katsumi tried to help, but she was just too small. She sighed and attempted to balance them before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Yaya told me to come help you," Kukai stated from behind her as he took two of the buckets and let Katsumi and Daichi carry one between them, leaving Sakura to carry two. She sighed in relief.

"Thanks to her, I guess," she said quickly, making Kukai laugh.

"You know, you're kinda funny, in your own sarcastic way," he told her with a grin. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No. People generally don't talk to me unless they have to," she told him easily as they made their way to the others. Sakura handed Amu and Nadeshiko the buckets she was carrying and took hers from the Shugo Charas while Kukai gave one of his to Tadase and their teacher was left with none.

She listened as Amu told Yaya that they weren't getting any other snacks before ignoring them completely, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth. Sakura then wandered around by herself, knowing that she would have to find her seat soon and could just regroup with the others then. She found a doorway that was slightly open and ignored the sign that said 'No Access'.

"Saku-chan, we shouldn't be here," Katsumi told her meekly as the glamour Chara looked around, seeing all kinds of creep cobwebs and spiders lurking in the corners. Her owner wasn't listening and she sighed. Sakura placed down her popcorn and squeezed herself into a small crack in the wall where light shone through.

Footsteps went past her and Sakura held her breath so as not to be caught, but released it too soon as another pair of steps went past, but they were going faster this time. Whoever it was didn't notice her and she sighed in relief before wriggling out of the tiny hole and taking a deep breath. She looked behind her to make sure Katsumi was still with her before letting her eyes fall on the hallway that the footsteps went.

"I'm not sure, but wouldn't it be a better idea to go _away_ from the people back here?" Katsumi whispered harshly in Sakura's ear.

"Be quiet. I want to know what's going on back here," she whispered back as she slid along the wall towards the end of the hallway. Someone approached her location and she froze, looking around for a means of escape and smiling when she saw a rail not too far above her head. Sakura jumped up, using her martial arts skills to kick herself off of the wall behind her and cling to the railing with her arms and legs.

The person walked by, not seeing her, and she frowned, concentrating on staying up as she pulled herself along the bar, deciding it was a better mode of transport. The bar went into a wall and Sakura sighed, looking up and seeing an air vent that she could easily crawl through. Swinging herself up, Sakura removed the vent cover and climbed inside it, Katsumi following her every step of the way.

"I feel like some sort of spy," she laughed, pausing when she saw Amu outside the vent. Voices spoke below her and Sakura listened to what they were saying.

"I haven't seen you in a while," a woman's voice echoed in the vent. Sakura wiped sweat from her brow and gulped – it was getting hotter by the second and she didn't know how much longer she could hold out. "I heard you attacked street performers on Christmas Eve and took their X-Eggs," Now she was cold.

"Yes," said another voice that sounded male, but not like Ikuto at all. "Although I was the one behind it. And, as usual, I had him clean up the mess," he added as Sakura scowled, leaning forwards to the opening of the vent to hear what they were saying better.

"I heard that you only found worthless X-Eggs, even after targeting all of those Seiyo Elementary children," the woman again, Sakura noted. She didn't care much for her classmates – they were the ones who let their Heart's Eggs become exposed through depression, so only they were to blame.

"In any case, we must continue to devote all of Easter's resources to finding the Embryo," another man said; still not Ikuto and definitely not the first man, either. "I have great expectations for tonight."

"I-I'm sorry!" she heard Amu – definitely Amu – squeal as she ran away, obviously caught. Shaking her head, Sakura decided then and there that she would handle any Guardian spy-work, not that they would actually assign her any to begin with.

The people below her dispersed and Sakura swallowed hard, feeling the full heat of the stuffy vent now that she had nothing else to concentrate on. Katsumi was on the verge of fainting and Sakura wasn't far behind. Decided not to try crawling back to the first opening, Sakura carefully lifted away the cover in front of her and made her way down, running through the halls, back to the main room.

"Easter, huh?" she muttered to herself while Katsumi made a comfortable nest in her body-warmer's pocket. Sakura went into the concert hall and found her seat easily as the others came in and sat in theirs. She was slightly annoyed to find that Yaya had swapped seats with Kukai – claiming that she wanted to sit next to Amu – and so Sakura was sat between the Jack's Chair and a boy she didn't know.

She slipped off her body warmer and stretched her arms as Katsumi floated up onto her head. The fashionable Chara looked around and noticed that she was the only one of her kind amongst the group and assumed that, as per usual, Kiseki had called them all for a meeting. It was only natural that she was left out, since she had stuck with Sakura the whole time rather than trying to socialise with the Charas. It was odd for her, since she was usually a very friendly Chara, but she had a feeling that Sakura would need her.

The lights went down and everyone listened as the announcer's voice came on, welcoming them to the concert. Sakura yawned, not really interested in listening to some guy who was paid to introduce the singers. And anyway, she wasn't a fan of Utau's music. Sure, she had a wonderful voice, but her songs seemed forced, like she would rather be doing anything other than singing them. At times, she noticed that Utau's eyes almost seemed to beg for the ability to stop in the middle of her song.

Her eyes widened saw she felt wings appear on Utau's back out of nowhere, exactly like a Chara Change. She frowned and watched more intently as Utau pointed to the crowd and she gasped as a dark aura fell over the crowd. Sakura stood instantly and ran out of the room, bringing Katsumi with her. The Chara had obviously felt the aura too and was ready for what Sakura was about to do, no questions asked by either of them.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose. She ran back into the hall and saw four Eggs above the audience, though it wasn't clear if they were X-Eggs or not. It seemed that the other Guardians had noticed it as well and before she could do anything, the lights on the stage began to crash to the ground.

"Yuiki-san had better get her money back," Sakura commented when she heard the announcement that the concert had been cancelled.

"Not the time, Saku-chan!" Katsumi yelled back. Sakura sighed and ran towards the eggs as they gained Xs, obviously due to the cancelled concert. They flew away and Sakura narrowed her eyes, following them out of the building easily, finding that she could sense them without a problem when she was transformed with her Chara.

She found them with Amu, who was just staring. Sakura wondered why she was still Amu and not Amulet-whatever, but then realised that her Shugo Chara weren't there. One of the eggs hatched into an X-Chara and Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of it, knowing that if one hatched, it wouldn't be long before the others did too. Before she could move, a shadow came over the moon and Sakura looked up, staring in awe as Ikuto transformed with Yoru.

He let himself fall down and gathered the hatched X-Chara in his hand, closing the egg around it before it could fully come out. It tried to escape the egg, but Ikuto pushed both halves together easily, keeping it closed. Sakura remained hidden, just watching the events unfold before her as Amu realised that Ikuto had transformed.

"What are you going to do with that egg?" she asked him. Sakura would admit, even she was unsure about Ikuto since Christmas Eve, when he attacked her and took off with more than a dozen X-Eggs. Amu questioned him repeatedly, but Ikuto didn't react. He clenched his fist tighter and the X-Egg was destroyed easily.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled, leaping out and glaring at him. He dropped the shell to the ground as if it was nothing and Sakura growled at him. "How could you do that so easily? That was someone's dream!" she growled, but Ikuto was acting as if she was doing nothing more than lecturing him about pointless things.

"I've always known that it's impossible for me to be a singer, realistically," a boy muttered as he and his mother walked past. Sakura's eyes widened as she realised that the boy was the owner of the destroyed egg.

"Just so you both know," Ikuto spoke at last. "Even without my help, most people break unneeded eggs. That's what happens to all the adults, walking around with tired looks on their faces. They've long abandoned the egg holding who they want to be."

Sakura's thoughts went to her father, who was always smiling. He had accomplished his dream of being a traveller, and had even written a book about his travels. It wasn't a best seller, but the smile on his face when he found out that he had sold his first copy was enough to make up for the birthdays he missed and the months she spent alone.

"You...You are such a horrible person! I hate you!" Sakura screamed at the boy, who turned slightly. "I'll always hate you for this!" she added, paying no attention to the Guardians arriving or the other three eggs hatching. She just stared at Ikuto with hate in her eyes.

Amu cleaned the eggs with her 'Open Heart' technique, but Sakura couldn't care less. Those eggs were safe, returning to their owner's hearts, but that one that he crushed would never be born again. It was gone. Just the idea of someone as young as that boy never having a dream again brought her heart to cry out for him. Ikuto jumped away, but Sakura just glared at his back until he disappeared.

"That poor egg," Yaya cried, looking at the broken shells on the ground.

"I can't let that boy go without a dream," Sakura said out loud, her body beginning to glow. She rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the broken egg, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the egg shells.

Everyone watched as the egg shells glowed pink while they began to move, rising up from the ground and piecing themselves back together to form an X-Egg again. Before Amu could even blink, the darkness of the egg began to peel away, revealing a cleansed heart's egg. It jumped a few times and circled Sakura before flying off to its owner.

Tired, Sakura fell to her knees and panted. Since it was the first time she used her ability, Sakura wasn't ready for the energy it took. Everyone crowded around her, staring at the place the X-Egg used to be and nobody made a sound until Sakura stood up shakily and stepped forwards, placing her hand onto the cold pavement as if to check that what just happened wasn't her own imagination.

"I did that?"

Katsumi left Sakura's body and the girl returned to normal, staring into the distance with wide eyes. All thoughts of her identity flew out of her mind until she heard a group of gasps from behind her. Sakura turned slowly, seeing Kukai, Tadase and Nadeshiko with wide eyes.

"Haruno-kun...you're...Lonely Heart?" Nadeshiko managed to say. "That would mean that you're a..."

"Girl," was all Kukai could choke out before he fainted.

{-}

"You see, boss?" Nikaido Yuu commented as they watched the girl not only revive, but heal the egg. "And as well as that, she has three different transformations, like that Hinamori girl, and can sense darkened or depressed Heart's Eggs before they become X-Eggs."

"Very interesting," the boss said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Keep an eye on her and, if the opportunity arises, try to recruit her to Easter. She would be a very useful asset to our forces. Well done, Nikaido."

"Thank you," he smirked at Sanjo Yukari, who glared and turned away. Utau looked at the girl and frowned, leaving the roof they were all stood on.

"I will not lose to her," she muttered.

{-}

"Kukai! Wake up!" Yaya pouted, shaking the boy's shoulder repeatedly. She and Amu were trying to bring him back to the world of the conscious while Sakura entertained Nadeshiko and Tadase by answering their questions.

"Why did you masquerade as a boy?" Nadeshiko enquired.

"I feel uncomfortable around people and it's easier when I don't have to be me all of the time," she shrugged. "Sure, I like dressing like a girl occasionally, but people tent to keep their distance from boys more so than girls."

"How did you get away with it?" Tadase asked next. Sakura sighed and, seeing no point in keeping it on, took off her hat, letting her hair fall to just below her hips.

"Well, it was pretty difficult at first. I had to get used to wearing hats every day and, even though I love gym, I couldn't do it because there was no way I could get changed without people noticing," she began, frowning slightly. "It got easier as time went on, and it helped that people thought I was scary. They didn't want to get too close to me, so I didn't have to keep a cover all the time."

"Was that how Yaya-chan convinced you to join the Guardians?" the Queen's Chair questioned her. Sakura nodded once, but saw that it didn't really clear anything up.

"She followed me and found out, so to keep her quiet about it, I agreed to join and be the Yin Joker, or whatever," Sakura huffed. "Is that all?"

"He's waking up!" Amu called over to them. The three twelve-year-old children rushed over to see if he was alright.

"W-What happened?" Kukai asked as colours swam to his eyes. "I had the weirdest dream. Haruno was a...a..." His eyes widened when he saw the long pink hair.

"No! Don't you dare faint again!" Sakura glared at him. Kukai jumped to his feet, standing above Sakura and pointing a finger at her.

"Men don't faint – they just pass out!" he defended himself. "And anyway, how can you expect me to act calmly when you're a...a...a..."

"Okay, I'm a girl!" Sakura sighed. "Just get over it. Any questions you have can be directed to either Fujisaki-san or Hotori-san. I'm going home."

"But –!"

"Her Ladyship has given you direct orders!" Kiseki stated, floating in front of Kukai, causing the majority of people to become confused at the title Kiseki had given the pinkette.

"W-Wait! Saku-chi!" Yaya called, running after the girl. "They'll get over it by New Years," she assured the girl as they walked home together, Pepe and Katsumi chatting away behind them.

"She's a girl," Kukai muttered, a slight blush crawling to his cheeks.

{-}

Sakura stretched her arms over her head when she woke up, immediately going to the bathroom to brush her teeth and have a shower. Once that was done, she moved to her wardrobe and smiled, pulling out the kimono she had saved up fifty per cent of every pay check she earned for several months to buy. After laying it down on her bed, Sakura pulled on a pair of red short and a white top before getting her breakfast.

She hadn't seen Ikuto in a while and was getting worried, but knew that he was probably off creating more trouble for them in the future. However, her new-found hatred for him had dimmed slightly after she had managed to repair and heal the X-Egg, though it was still there, since he had destroyed it in the first place.

Kukai, Nadeshiko and Tadase had gotten over her true gender, mostly, and were now onto the topic of why Amu and Yaya kept it a secret. Their answer was simple – they did it for a friend. Sakura didn't bother to mention that Yaya had used it as blackmail and Amu was just too shocked to blink. It was still funny how Kukai couldn't quite look her in the eyes and Nadeshiko wanted to talk to her more than she did before. Tadase, thankfully, treated her exactly the same as before, in his usual polite manner.

"Saku-chan! You have to go and pick up Yaya soon," Katsumi told her. Sakura nodded and placed her breakfast plate in the kitchen before walking back to her room and taking off her clothes, pulling the white under-kimono on. After she had secured it, Sakura gently placed her plain, light green furisode kimono over her shoulders, pulling her arms through the holes.

Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari helped her tie the light grey obi with a large bow in the back over her black Obiage, which peeked out at the top. Thought it was traditional for the kimono to be heavily decorated, Sakura couldn't afford them and had instead picked out a beautiful soft green colour. The obi was decorated with soft yellow flowers, the colour matching the zori, and her tabi were white, to match the under-kimono.

The girl tied her hair at the back into a bun with a band that matched her zori in colour, but her hair was too long to place it all into a bun without help, so most of it fell in a ponytail under the bun. To keep her hair out of her face, Sakura placed two yellow clips in her hair on the right side of her face to hold her hair neatly. With no makeup and no plan to change the way she looked, Sakura walked to the living room and picked up her small drawstring wrist bag that had a small amount of money in it.

She walked out of her apartment, bowing to her neighbours on the way, and made her way outside, breathing in the fresh air. Katsumi and Setsuko were looking around and admiring all the different kimonos while Mari was trying her best to look tough, even though she too was internally gasping at the beauty of some of the gowns. Sakura smiled fondly at her Charas as she made her way to Yaya's home, finding it quickly.

_Knock-Knock_

"Coming!" Sakura heard a voice, which she recognised as Yaya's mother, sing from inside. The door opened and she woman smiled softly at the girl on the other side. "Happy New Year, Sakura-san. Yaya-chan is in the living room, so just go ahead," she allowed. Sakura bowed to the woman and made her way inside, spotting Yaya and her bright orange kimono easily.

"Happy New Year, Yuiki-san," Sakura greeted, hearing the squeal before feeling the hug from the girl.

"You look so cute, Saku-chi!" Yaya grinned, looking over Sakura's kimono and clapping. "I'll never know why you dress like a boy sometimes. You're really cute as a girl!" she said, but quietly this time, so that her parents didn't hear her.

"How about a picture of the little princesses?" Yaya's mother smiled as she walked into the living room with her camera. Yaya swung her arm around Sakura's shoulders, which was easy to do, since she was so much taller, and Sakura just blushed at the attention. The picture was taken and Yaya posed for another one, just standing with her hand clasped in front of her. Sakura echoed her pose and the girls both smiled.

"Yay! That's one of my favourite pictures ever!" Yaya cheered, waving her arms in the air in joy.

"Yaya-chan, you haven't even seen it yet," her mother stated softly. Yaya shook her head and grinned.

"No, Mama! It's my favourite because Saku-chi's in it! It'll be my first real picture with her," the girl exclaimed. Sakura smiled at her and Yaya took her hand lightly. "Come on, Saku-chi! We have to go and get Nadeshiko-chi!"

The girls ran down the street, though Yaya did most of the running while Sakura was just being dragged. Everyone turned to comment on how cute the two were and while Pepe, Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were laughing at her expense, Sakura was just blushing at the words of compliment. She wasn't used to it, after all, since she spent most of her time dressed as a boy.

"Nadeshiko-chi!" Yaya called, ringing the bell outside Nadeshiko's very large, very traditional home. Her housekeep came to the door and welcomed them inside, showing them to the tea room. Sakura knelt beside Yaya as Nadeshiko entered in her elaborate purple kimono and knelt on Sakura's other side with her mother in front of the three.

"Happy New Year," the five females, her Housekeeper included, chimed, all of them taking a sip of tea from the cups in front of them. Yaya couldn't contain her childish nature and was soon gushing about how lovely Nadeshiko looked in her kimono while Sakura was smothered by Nadeshiko's kind words about how cute she was.

"Thank you, Fujisaki-san," Sakura smiled. "You look really nice too," she added as Nadeshiko smiled.

"We should go and pick up everyone else, yes?" Nadeshiko suggested, bowing to her mother and the three were about to leave when her housekeeper came in with a camera.

"Not so fast, Nadeshiko-sama," she smiled. "How about a photo?" The elderly woman held up the camera as the three girls, with Sakura in the middle, all smiled brightly with their hands behind their backs. Another picture was taken after that and Sakura was once again smothered when Nadeshiko hugged her gently from the side and Yaya clasped her arms around Sakura's neck. Sakura blushed heavily and the photograph was taken.

"Let's go!" Yaya sang, taking the hands of both Sakura and Nadeshiko as she marched out of the girl's home towards the next place. It was rather close and so it didn't take them long to reach Tadase's home.

"Happy New Year," the girls smiled when he opened the door. Tadase smiled back and returned the greet as they posed for one photo for his parents, all of them smiling politely with Tadase and Sakura in the middle, Yaya next to Tadase and Nadeshiko on the other end. They then made their way to Kukai.

"Ne, Tadase, don't you think Saku-chi looks cute in her kimono?" Yaya grinned, seeing Sakura blush at more attention. Katsumi giggled and Setsuko hid her smile behind her hand while Mari out-right laughed. Pepe, Temari and Kiseki were all oblivious to Sakura's discomfort.

"Yes, I suppose she does," he smiled, not really meaning anything behind his words other than what he said.

"Beauty fit for the princess she is!" Kiseki gushed. They soon reached Kukai's house and Nadeshiko rang the bell. He opened the door and shock instantly played on everyone's faces, with Yaya being the first to react.

"Saku-chi and Kukai match!"

As strange as it was, her words were the truth. His green kimono matched her own kimono perfectly in colour and his Haori was the exact same light grey as her obi. The two kamon on the front of his Haori were yellow circles with black rings around them, the soft yellow colour matching the flowers decorating her obi, as well as her zori and hair tie and clips, while the black matched her Obiage.

"How unusual," Nadeshiko smiled, trying to hold in a giggle. All of the Charas were laughing now, Daichi and Sakura's Charas included, while Sakura and Kukai just blushed slightly.

"We should go and get Hinamori," Sakura muttered. Everyone agreed and they walked to Amu's house, though everyone had at least one comment on the matching outfits. Finally, they reached their destination and Tadase rang the bell. The door opened almost instantly and Amu stood in awe of their clothing.

"Happy New Year," they all said in unison. Sakura smiled slightly at how well the pink kimono suited the Yang Joker in contrast to her usual black and red clothing. Her eyes sparkled when they fell on Tadase, for obvious reasons, but she just looked confused when she spotted Kukai and Sakura.

'_Maybe we shouldn't have stood next to each other,'_ Sakura sighed mentally as the wheels in Amu's head turned.

"Why are you two wearing matching kimonos?" she asked, pointing a finger between the two of them.

"It wasn't on purpose," Sakura grumbled. Kukai nodded in agreement as he ran a hand through his hair, a tired look on his face.

"How cute!" Amu's mother, Midori, squealed as she came to the door. "Darling, take a picture of all of them!" she said. "Make sure the two who match are stood together!" she giggled, causing Sakura to sigh. They stood in a group, with Amu in the middle and Tadase and Kukai to her sides. Nadeshiko stood a little in front and to the side of Tadase while Yaya was the same with Kukai, and Sakura, being the smallest, was made to stand between the two girls, in front of Amu.

"So adorable!" Amu's father commented.

{-}

The bell was rung and Sakura's watched as her Charas clapped twice, praying to Chara Nari with her allot throughout the following year. Sakura stood with Kukai and Yaya, waiting just behind Amu, Tadase and Nadeshiko for their turn to pray at the temple. They moved forwards and Sakura thought for a moment before clapping her hands and closing her eyes.

'_I wish for my father's safety,'_ she prayed, stepping out of the way so that the next people in line could take their turn. The group moved to the lucky tree and untied their fortunes for that year. Sakura waited until everyone else took theirs before reaching up.

"I got 'Great Luck'," Tadase stated as he unravelled his.

"Excellent, Tadase," Kiseki nodded at his owner.

"Mine says 'Average Luck'," Nadeshiko smiled.

"Perhaps that is accurate," Temari stated softly.

"I got 'Great Luck'!" Yaya cheered.

"Naturally – dechu!" added Pepe with a smile behind her pacifier.

"Why did I get 'Bad Luck'?" Kukai sighed as he and Daichi looked at the piece of paper with a wince.

"It ain't my fault. You're the one who drew it," Daichi said, turning away.

"What did you get, Ami-chi?" Yaya asked as Amu laughed nervously.

"'Uncertain Luck'," she told them.

"That's tough," everyone commented as her head fell. She rose again and looked at Sakura, who hadn't even unfolded hers yet.

"What about you, Haruno?" she asked. Sakura shrugged and unfolded her piece of paper, frowning slightly at it.

"It doesn't say anything," she said, turning it over. "Oh well. I never really believed in luck, anyway," Sakura added, holding it carefully in her hands as everyone tried to get a look.

"Eh?" Yaya grinned. "With that one, you're supposed to make your own luck, Saku-chi! At the end of the year, you write how your luck has been and then you throw it into the temple well, next New Year!"

"That's lame," Sakura rolled her eyes as Yaya continued to gush about how cool it was for her to have it and how it matched her personality – not even paper from a luck tree at a temple could tell her how her life would be!

"Well, how about we all go shopping?" Nadeshiko suggested. Tadase smiled.

"That's right. We've still got other preparations to make," he stated with a smile as he reached into the sleeve of his kimono and pulled out a piece of paper, reading from it.

"No fair! I wish I could learn to snowboard, too!" Yaya wailed. Sakura looked down and sighed.

"Don't worry, Yuiki-san. You'll get to do it next year, I'm sure," she told the girl, seeing her eye light up as she cheered about getting to learn snowboarding. She looked down at her paper again and frowned.

'_What is this supposed to mean? Did they just forget to write a fortune on it, or does it actually have some significance, like Yuiki-san said?'_ Sakura wondered to herself before sighing and placing the paper into her bag.

{-}

Sakura had curled herself up into a ball on a seat near the back, just in front of Saya and her cheerleaders. She was looking out of the window, dressed in a blue, woolly jumper and baggy black trousers with black trainers. It was hard, after spending so much of her holidays dressed as a girl, to go back to dressing like a boy so quickly. That was obvious when she had almost left the house without her ski cap.

She covered her ears when Saya began to sing Hoshina Utau's song, murdering the tune and ruining the hearing of many of her class mates. Sakura paid her no heed as they continued to drive towards the slopes. When they finally arrived, Sakura quickly slid to the floor and rolled under her seat, hiding from everyone else as they got off the bus, cheering happily about learning to snowboard.

"It's time I learnt more about this 'Easter' organisation," Sakura smirked as the bus started up again, heading back to the school. It was difficult to remain hidden during the whole journey, since she floor was very uncomfortable, but the hours passed and she soon felt the bus stop. Sakura quietly opened the emergency exit on the floor of the bus and climbed out, picking up her luggage from the side of the bus without being noticed.

Her Charas followed her as she headed home, throwing down her bag and changing into a tight pair of black shorts and a black tank top. She tied her hair back swiftly into a ponytail and pulled a black hat on her head to cover the top of her hair, though her ponytail still showed. The girl tied black trainers onto her feet and walked to the door of her apartment.

"Saku-chan, where are we going?" Katsumi asked. Sakura turned and smiled.

"Katsumi, I need you to stay here and look after your sisters," Sakura told her quickly. "I'm going to find out more about Easter. You guys stay behind. I'll be back in time for dinner," she assured them.

"No way," Katsumi frowned. "We have to be there in case you need us! That's what we're here for!"

"Yeah!" agreed Mari with a firm nod while Setsuko merely watched.

"...Okay, fine. Just stay quiet, though, and do everything I say."

"Don't we always?" Setsuko asked slyly. Sakura smiled once, leaving the apartment complex with her Charas following behind her. She ran into the town and soon came to the large building that had Easter on the front. The four of them snuck into the shadows and Sakura began to look for ways into the building.

"I'll find out what you're doing."


	11. Healing Kiss

Chapter Eleven

Sakura lay on her stomach, pulling herself along inside of the vent using her hands and pulling herself forwards with her feet. She kept her breathing low as she listened carefully for anyone below her. It seemed that this building was crawling with adults who were doing their jobs looking for the Embryo and Sakura was slightly annoyed that the others were childish enough to put learning how to snowboard ahead of scouting out Easter.

Her hand caught on something and Sakura winced, pulling it to her face and seeing a graze covering the skin. She sighed quietly and kept going, remembering the way she was taking so that she could get out again. Her Charas were floating behind her, keeping as quiet as possible. Hearing voices below her, Sakura froze and, having no where to look from, pressed her ear to the bottom of the vent and listened carefully.

"Yuu is going to fail again, no doubt," a woman's voice scoffed scornfully, sounding as though she was just talking to herself. "He was a fool to use Ikuto at all – I got the better end of the deal by taking Utau."

"Ikuto?" muttered Sakura with a frown, listening even more carefully to the woman's fading voice. Setsuko and Mari floated up to her while Katsumi floated ahead to see if there was any way out of the vent. It was getting stuffy, and the four of them wouldn't be able to stay in there much longer.

"Ah, Utau-chan!" the same woman as before greeted as someone walked into the room. "Your last concert was a great success. The boss was pleased with the X-Eggs we created, though next time we expect to see the Embryo."

"Ah," Utau replied in a bored tone. Sakura frowned slightly, now having firm evidence that Utau had something to do with creating the X-Eggs.

"Sanjo-san!" someone called as they approached the woman. "We have everything set for Utau-chan's next show."

'_Sanjo..._' the pinkette repeated, committing the name to memory. Sakura heard the click of heals and knew that she was leaving, so the pinkette carried on through the vent to find something else. Katsumi had come across an opening and once Sakura had checked that no one was there, she smiled at her Chara for a job well-done.

"All clear," Kasumi whispered up to Sakura after leaving the vent to check the area. Sakura quietly opening the vent and dropped to the ground, huffing slightly as she landed; the girl then placed the vent cover down, knowing that someone would find it, and slid herself along the wall of the hallway, peering round the corner before walking through.

She made her way down the hall and turned another corner, pausing and hiding behind a plant when a group of men walked past her, joking about how the building didn't need security, since no one ever got inside. She smirked slightly and rolled her eyes before gesturing to her Chara to hurry up as they moved further along. Sakura's foot caught on the plant, however, and it crashed to the ground.

"I think I heard something," she froze when she heard a man's voice from behind her, not daring to turn around to see if they'd spotted. "Hey, you; this is private property!" Apparently, they had.

"Sorry, I didn't get the memo," Sakura smirked. "Mari!"

"Yes! Chara-Change!" the girl called as Sakura's hat gained a pair of goggles identical to Mari's and she ran forwards, kicking the man in the stomach. She then flipped back and fell into her fighting stance as the man coughed and stood up.

"You want a piece of me, brat?" he growled, running towards her with his fist pulled back. It occurred to Sakura that these people weren't the type to pull punches because she was a kid, nor because she was a girl. Sakura quickly stepped aside and grabbed his wrist, flipping him over. His head hit the ground and he moaned before passing out.

"That was way too close," Sakura sighed, kicking him once in the side to make sure he was really out. "Thanks, Mari."

"Any time," the green Chara grinned as they continued sneaking down the halls of the building. Sakura looked out of the window and smiled, seeing that she was on the fourth floor, knowing that she had managed to climb all that way through the vents.

"I am good," she muttered with a proud nod as she and her Chara carried on through the building. Sakura climbed up into the venting system to avoid another run-in like the one she just had.

So, Sakura was crawling through the vents again, though this time she was finding her way out. Katsumi and Mari had gone ahead – the green Chara was very happy with Chara-Changing twice – and Setsuko was with Sakura as the two caught up to the others. She found a drop with a ladder that could take you up or down and Sakura, deciding that she wanted to see more of the building, chose to go up.

She stopped once when she reached the top of the ladder and climbed out of the vent, into a large, dusty room that looked as though it hadn't been used in years. There were a few tables and chair, but mostly files lined up neatly along the walls in built-in bookcases. Approaching the dust-covered information, Sakura took no care in extracting one of the files.

_Embryo Project I_

The title struck her interest, but Sakura pulled out the file next to it anyway, reading the title of that as well.

_Embryo Project II_

Her eyes widened and she moved along the book cases to the file that had the least dust on it, pulling it out quickly, allowing her eyes to scan the title before she dropped it.

_Embryo Project LXXXVI_

She shook her head and picked up the file again. So, 86 attempts at finding the Embryo and at least one file for every try. Sakura grinned to herself as she put the most recent file back and when to collect every file from the _Project I_ shelf, placing as many as she could carry down on the table before beginning to read the facts and opinions.

_The Embryo is a magical egg that may allow the one who possesses it to have any wish granted. It is for this reason that Easter must possess this Embryo, in order to hold great power over the rest of the world._

Sakura sighed – 'World domination'. Maybe Tadase should join Easter, she mused with a smile as she continued to read the old texts.

{-}

Sakura yawned widely as she put back the last file in the _Project VII_ section of the room. It didn't take as long as she thought it would, since _Project I_ had seven folders and the rest had below five each, all rather thin. She would estimate that she had spent around two hours reading while Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari took turns guarding the door.

She turned and climbed on the table, pulling herself back into the vent and noting mentally how to find the room again for the next day, when she would read more of the files. Her plan was to read everything Easter had documented so far – or at least what they kept in that room. Judging by how dusty it was, she would guess that they used a different place to store their more recent files, so she wouldn't be able to read through them.

Just seeing how many attempts they had made caused Sakura to wonder how long Easter had been looking for the Embryo. So far, she had read around two years of history with seven attempts at the Embryo. In fact, if they didn't resort to such vicious methods – like extracting X-Eggs – she would even consider joining, since they seemed closer to the Embryo than the Guardians.

Really, compared to Easter's methods and planning, the Guardians were just a bunch of kids running around with vague ideas and no clue what the Embryo even looked like. At least Easter had managed to draw it close to them once, a few years ago, and knew that it looked like a mass of pure energy in the form of an egg.

{-}

The girl, running out of breath inside the tight vent, dropped herself into the hallway as soon as she found an opening. By the looks of things, she was now on the third floor of the building, close to the exit and yet still too far to let her guard down even a little bit. They heard voices and hurried into the closest, unlocked room, squinting in the dark to see if anyone was there. Luckily, she was alone.

"So, a little girl beat you up?" an amused voice chuckled from outside the door as two men walked by.

"I'm telling you, she knew kung fu!" he defended himself. Sakura burst out of the room with a smirk, Chara-Changing with Mari again.

"Actually, it's called Ninjutsu, and I am one skilled Kunoichi," she told them, taking their arms and flipping them both over her head. The man she fought previously got up first and bared his fists – obviously a boxer – while the other fell into a stance she recognised as Jujutsu.

"Well, I think it's time Nin meets Ju," he commented. Sakura grinned slightly, even without Mari she was all for a good spar, but the other guy would just get in the way. Going for the boxer first, Sakura ducked under his fists and kicked his feet out from under him, also having to dodge a grab from his partner.

She flipped back and assessed the situation; two grown men, both with very different fighting styles, against her and her Ninjutsu. Sakura let her eyes flicker again to the boxer, seeing him becoming impatient and charging at her. She leapt up and jumped over him like they were playing leap-frog, attacking the man behind him with a well-aimed kick.

Unfortunately, he was ready for it and he managed to catch her foot, twisting it in mid-air. So that she didn't break her ankle, Sakura spun herself with her hands on the ground, using her other foot to kick him in the side of his head, pushing him off-balance. He stumbled away, dropping her to the floor, and the other man ran at her, grabbing her arms and pinning them to her sides.

"No," Sakura muttered under her breath as she struggled to free herself from his grip before the other guy got up. One arm slipped from his grasp, but before she could take action, the man dropped her completely.

"B-Boss," he stuttered. "Uhh...We found this girl running around the building, so we –"

"Hey! I wasn't running!" Sakura frowned as the goggles on her hat disappeared in a pop of green sparkles. "I was sneaking around pretty well, thank you very much."

"What is your name?" the newcomer asked her in a deep, old voice. Sakura looked up and saw a man with a very tired, but still stern-looking, face and brown hair that showed small signs of greying in age, with brown eyes.

"My name's none of your business," she told him straight-out as her Charas came to her sides. "I know what this company is after, but I'm going to get the Embryo before you can even blink."

"You mean for the Guardians?" he questioned seriously, his hands crossed in front of him.

"Maybe, but I have my own reasons, too, you know," she stated with narrowed eyes, nodding her head. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Of course," he allowed, stepping aside. "If you follow that hallway, you come to an elevator. Take it to the ground floor and the exit will be right in front of you."

"I...Thank you?" Sakura raised one brow and stepped past him, soon finding the elevator she was looking for. As soon as the doors closed, she heard him mutter something outside of it and a few seconds later, the power went out.

{-}

"I...Thank you?" The young girl looked very confused at his gesture, but Kazuomi knew what he was doing. She stepped into the elevator and he waited a moment before turning to the men.

"Cut off the power to the elevator," he ordered, seeing them both nod and limp away. Apparently, that girl was more than just powerful with her Chara, but had experience in hand-to-hand combat as well. She would definitely make a more suitable addition to Easter than Utau and Ikuto, let alone Yuu and Yukari.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" he heard her yell when the power to the elevator went out. Walking proudly to the moving metal room, he knocked slightly on the door with his knuckles. "Who is it?" called the girl, with sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Will you tell me your name now?" he asked. Her sigh was loud enough to be heard through the door and she fumbled around inside before he heard a large bang. "Open the doors!" he called out to the men. The doors slid open and he walked inside, looking around and seeing the emergency exit to the elevator open.

"See ya!" the girl called as she climbed into a vent. The man shook his head slightly.

"What a clever little girl," he muttered, leaving the elevator.

{-}

Mari steered Sakura left when there was a split in the vents and she soon found herself back where she started. Kicking open the vent, not caring how much noise she made, Sakura dropped herself down in the ally and walked away like nothing had happened. Her mind was buzzing with all that new information and she couldn't wait to go back again the next day, though with a better plan and more cautiously, of course.

"Saku-chan, that was so cool!" Mari gushed while copying Sakura's fighting moves in mid-air while Katsumi pretended to be the enemy, losing badly. "We should totally do that again!"

"It would be a bad idea," Setsuko insisted. "After all, if we're caught again, the chances of escape are very slim indeed."

"I agree with Setsuko," Sakura sighed, pulling off her hat and letting her hair fall from her ponytail. "After all, everyone's going to be on the lookout, now, anyway. And to think I could have been snowboarding."

"Very funny, Saku-chan," Katsumi scoffed as they made it back to Sakura's apartment.

"Hmmm...What do you say we go up to the ski resort Hinamori and them are at for the championships, ne?"

{-}

The bus ride was long and boring, but Sakura was looking forwards to seeing the snow again. Katsumi had fallen asleep on the seat next to her – snoring – while Setsuko was elegantly perched on the side of the seat and Mari was flying around the bus, looking for something to keep her mind occupied. So far, she had come up with nothing, but they only had to suffer a few more minutes of boredom.

Soon enough, the bus stopped and Sakura grabbed her duffle bag from the floor in front of her, swinging it over her shoulder. She grinned and shook out her hair, which she had worn loose with a thick blue woolly jumper and a pair of black ski trousers, even though she had no intention of skiing. She did have a hat on her head, blue in colour, though her hair fell to just below her hips.

"Come on, let's go," Sakura called softly as Mari landed on her shoulder, Setsuko sitting on the other one and Sakura gently gathering Katsumi into the large pocket of her jacket so that the Chara could carry on sleeping. She made her way to the competition and soon spotted the tell-tale pink hair of her fellow Joker, also accompanied by the purple, blonde and sandy brown colours of the rest of the group.

"There they are!" Mari cheered, waking up Katsumi. The glamorous Chara stirred slowly, but her eyes lit up upon seeing Ran. They flew to their same-colour-counterparts while Sakura made her way over at her own pace, only to be spotted first by Amu.

"Haruno!" she cried loudly, "We were so worried when we saw that you weren't on the bus!" the girl continued, her eye checking over Sakura to see if it really was her.

"Well, I had some business to take care of back home. I'm here now though, so you don't have to worry," Sakura stated with a sigh.

"Are you here to watch the competition?" Amu asked her with a smile forming on her face and Sakura nodded once.

"Of course," she replied as they all looked up on the big screen, seeing that one of the competitors, a very young one, looked pale and nervous.

"That's Mifuyu-chan!" Amu gasped as they ran to the competitor's stands, Sakura tagging along with them. They reached the girl, who was kneeling on the ground, muttering about how useless everything was. Sakura eyes widened when she couldn't sense a Heart's Egg inside her.

"She doesn't have a Heart's Egg," she told the other, seeing their worried gazes.

"Well, she gave birth to her egg, a Chara named Snoppe, but she seems to have disappeared," Nadeshiko commented sadly.

"Judging by the way she's acting, I'd say that it's fair to assume that 'Snoppe' became an X-Egg," Sakura stated as the others gasped. "We need to find her and get her back," she told them, seeing everyone nod.

"Don't worry, Mifuyu-chan, we'll find Snoppe."

{-}

Sakura had been searching around for any sign of an X-Egg for a while and had come up with nothing. The others had brought a boy back to the hotel they were staying in – Amu's fanboy, if she remembered correctly – and began to talk about the egg when he said that he saw it in a cabin and then something about it being past its expiration date and not even being enough for an omelette, or whatever.

So, they were now looking for a mountain cabin rather than just the egg, which Sakura though was ridiculous, since they could just as well look for both. She felt a strong, dark presence and looked towards the mountains, her eyes narrowing to see if she could spot anything up there as the other began to talk about something.

"I sense it," she muttered. "The egg is up there!" yelled Sakura, running up the mountain with the others following her. They soon found the cabin and, while everyone else ran inside, Sakura stayed where she was; she knew that fighting an X-Chara inside would be almost impossible. Sakura waited a moment until she heard the familiar cry of 'Holy Crown' and everyone ran outside.

The X-Chara, which had a scarf around its neck, broke out through the window to follow them with a grin on its face. Sakura frowned at it, feeling a weak presence of a normal Shugo Chara inside it. She noted that it must be the presence of a Shugo Chara that became an X-Chara, and stepped forwards towards it.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Heart Kama!" called Sakura, her hand-held scythes appearing in her hands in a burst of pink sparkles. She saw that Amu had also transformed into Amulet Heart and nodded to her. Amu jumped up as the X-Chara took a breath and she shielded herself from being pelted by dark-energy snowballs.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she looked around, formulating a plan. She glanced at the others and took their own abilities into account and bit her lip, thinking as quickly as she could. A though occurred to her and she grinned, jumping up as high as she could – higher than a normal human, though not as high as Amulet Heart could – and threw one of her Kama at the X-Chara while she and Amu fell back to the ground.

"Hotori-san – Holy Crown!" yelled Sakura. He nodded and preformed the said ability, throwing a shield over them as Sakura looked around. "Alright, I have a plan. Soma-san will lure the attacks away from the rest of us by using his snowboard – since he's fastest."

"Got it," he grinned.

"While he's doing that, Hotori-san will cover him if needs be, using Holy Crown, okay?" she asked him, receiving a nod. "If that works, I'll tell you two the rest of the plan," she added, nodding to Nadeshiko and Amu. Kukai Chara-Changed with Daichi and set off, the plan working up until he was hit by dark-energy snowmen. Tadase attempted to help him, but met the same fate and both boys, as well as they Charas, were sapped of all motivation.

"Tadase-kun!" called Amu in concern. Sakura frowned and began to plan again, but was put off from her thoughts by Amu. Nadeshiko Chara-Changed and stood in front of them, twirling her Naginata around to defend against the snowmen being fired at them.

"This is the strongest opponent we've faced so far," she commented. "Amu-chan, please," Nadeshiko added, getting tired from defending. Amu's eyes grew in fear and she clasped her hands at her chest.

"B-But, even Kukai and Tadase-kun were no match for it," she stated fearfully, looking at the Chara.

"What're ya gettin' scared for?" Nadeshiko growled in Hiroshima slang. Sakura took a step back and gulped, suddenly very fearful of the changed Nadeshiko, but more annoyed at Amu. Nadeshiko continued to yell at Amu while Sakura felt the build-up of power within the X-Chara as it prepared a stronger attack.

"It's huge!" the three girls stated as a very large snowman began to roll towards them. Nadeshiko and Sakura fell back, but Amu stood forwards, fighting her nervousness.

"N-Negative Heart: Lock On!" she called, performing her attack quickly. "Open Heart!" Amu's power hit the large snowman and caused it to disappear easily, but the X-Chara just batted it away with a wide grin. Amu gasped. "It...It didn't work," she muttered as Nadeshiko pulled her back.

"Maybe a Shugo Chara cannot be purified...but healed," she said, looking at Sakura and remembering how she healed the broken egg. Feeling the gaze of the Queen's Chair, Sakura looked back with wide eyes.

"N-No! That was one time, and it was only an egg!" she stated. "I can't –!"

"Haruno, that's someone's Shugo Chara!" Amu yelled. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she nodded, stepping forwards shakily.

"Shugo-X-Chara – Target!" Sakura said out loud, her body beginning to glow as she rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the X-Chara, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the X-Chara.

It glowed pink and began to smile as the X cracked into pieces and it's outer skin to peel off, revealing an actual Shugo Chara underneath. Sakura stared in amazement as she managed to return a Chara to its usual self and smiled and Amu and the other, the boys now feeling better, ran towards the Chara and began to talk.

"That was awesome, Saku-chan!" Mari yelled as she floated to her owner with Setsuko. Katsumi flew out of Sakura and the girl returned to normal, smiling slightly. The egg closed around the healed Chara and it floated away, back to its owner, while the Guardians crowded around Sakura.

"Nice one, Haruno!" Amu and Kukai yelled, giving her a thumbs-up, while Tadase and Nadeshiko smiled. Sakura shrugged and smiled slightly in reply as they all made their way back to the competition.


	12. Zero Time with Cherry Blossom

Chapter Twelve

Sakura sighed as she turned on her TV, flipping through the channels and finally stopping on a half-decent show; _Zero Time_. Even though she could tell it none of it was real, done with CG no doubt, it was still a pretty cool show. Just imagining that it was real was the fun part. Katsumi loved the show most of all, never believing when Mari and Setsuko told her it was all done with special effects. Sakura didn't have the heart to join the younger two in correcting her.

It cut to adverts when Utau let herself fall off of the platform to the lion's cage and Sakura smiled. The others were back from their snowboarding and she had gotten an earful from Amu about how worried they all were when they couldn't find her on the bus or at the resort. Sakura didn't care, knowing that they weren't worried enough to look for her. If they had been truly worried, she would have had phone calls and texts from them.

The show came back on and Sakura left the room, telling Katsumi to turn off the TV when she was done. The Chara agreed and Sakura climbed out onto the roof of her apartment, staring at the stars in glee. They twinkled so brightly on a night with no moon, and she was glad that she wasn't in a city where the street lights were too bright to see the sky.

Her eyes felt heavy and Sakura sighed, just knowing that she had to go inside or risk falling asleep on the roof again.

{-}

The following day, in school, Sakura was sitting on the grassy field outside, happy with how the test went. It wasn't too difficult, but she could tell by the way Amu reacted when they were told that the test was over that her fellow Joker hadn't done well at all. She adjusted her hat, though she had considered, several times since school started, just throwing it off and being done with the charade.

She sighed and stood up, wandering slowly towards the Royal Garden, the one place she could go without her hat and not have to worry. As she entered the green-house-style place, she took off the blue beanie and shook her hair out before walking towards the table everyone usually sat at. Sakura looked up when she heard a gasp and raised a brow at the sight of the magical boy-wonder, Zero.

"Okay, whatever," Sakura shook her head and sat in her usual seat, knowing that it would be explained to her. Amu walked in next, looking as though she had something to say, but was reduced to a stuttering mess when she caught sighed of Zero. Kukai and Yaya were quick to quieten her and she sat next to Sakura as the boy removed his mask and hat.

"My name is Nagakura Takuya, from Forth Grade Star Class," he announced with a happy smile.

"I can't believe Zero goes to our school," Amu gasped, trying to keep herself from yelling again.

"I can't believe that Haruno-sempai is a girl, though everyone always did wonder why she looked so...well, pretty," he blushed, looking towards Sakura as she sipped at her tea.

"Get on with the explanation," Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes around the room until someone began to speak, not even noticing the boy's pink cheeks. Kukai was out of his seat, allowing the boy to sit down so they could give the Jokers a full explanation.

"Well, since Zero is supposed to be my mysterious secret identity, the only person who knows here is the Chairman," Takuya stated simply.

"Should you be telling us?" Amu asked, looking to Tadase when he answered.

"Takuya-kun trusts the Guardians, so he revealed his identity to us," the blonde explained with a smile. Sakura sighed again and looked at the boy with a frown, not seeing why Amu was so amazed by him. If his show was anything to go by, he was nothing but a fake.

"He says he's like to show us some magic," Nadeshiko added softly with a small smile.

"Can he do it without a team of CG-experts helping him?" Sakura muttered, though she knew, by the hurt look on his face, that the boy heard her.

"Haruno-san!" called Tadase in a scolding tone, frowning at her blatant disregard for the boy's feelings. Sakura glared at him.

"Well? Tell me I'm wrong. All those flashy stunts you pull on your show aren't sleight of hand; it's all done with computers!" Sakura accused, seeing the boy look down in shame.

"I'm surprised that you watch my show if you say you hate it so much," he admitted with a small laugh, though anyone could tell it was fake.

"I never said I hated it. Sometimes, it's a lot of fun to pretend it's real," she pouted, turning away. "I'm not going to lie about that."

"Aha! There's that cute little pout of yours," Kukai taunted, getting the same glare from Sakura as Tadase did, though it wasn't as vicious, since he was only being playful with his remark. She turned away as Yaya started going on about how she wanted to have his autograph, and Amu asked for one as well – but for Ami, of course. She then noticed that 'Zero' looked more than a little upset by all the attention.

"What's up with you?" she asked bluntly, causing him to look up in shock at the girl sitting next to him.

"Y-You're right. My magic isn't real, not at all," he admitted, seeing everyone freeze and begin yelling questions and statements about how terrible it was to trick people with fake-magic. Sakura saw his expression sink even more and sighed.

"Shut up!" she yelled over their noised, causing every to stare at the usually quiet girl in shock. "I'm sure that if he wanted to show us some magic, it would be impossible if everything he did was CG. Sure, the bigger-scale stuff like that trick yesterday with the lion and the butterflies might be CG, but he must have some talent for magic, right?"

"W-Well, actually, I do," he smiled a little, reaching behind her and pulling a white rose out of nowhere before presenting it to her. "You see? No computers behind that one," he blushed as Sakura took the rose.

"So, you want to perform real magic for us because you regret deceiving everyone?" Kukai suggested logically.

"No," Takuya shook his head. He took out a deck of cards and began shuffling them like a professional, causing gasps from everyone except Sakura, who was already convinced by the rose trick that no one else seemed to notice. "When I first debuted, my magic was real. But, as my popularity increased and I got more jobs...I wasn't allowed to do magic on stage anymore," he confessed.

"So, your pushy manager forced you to use graphics rather than pure talent when you preformed?" Sakura guessed, playing with the rose under the table as he nodded.

"And, if I did magic for my friends at school, they'd figure out my secret, and that would make my secret identity as Zero pointless," he sighed, looking down at the cards under his hand. "All I ever wanted was to make people happy with my magic – my real magic."

"So, that's why you came to us," Tadase realised.

"Yes," he nodded. Kukai clasped his hands together.

"S-Sorry – I said too much!" he apologised for reacting to the news of his magic not being real on TV. "You should apologise too!" he said to Yaya and Sakura.

"What? I'm not gonna apologise..." Yaya rejected while Sakura shrugged.

"That's pretty low," Amu sighed as Yaya yelled at her about how he should quit if he hates it so much.

"That's true," he said, referring to Yaya's statement. "But, it's always been my dream to be a famous magician," Takuya told them. "Why am I hurting so much, even though my dream has come true?"

"Because it hasn't," Sakura, who quickly found that she was the only one willing to be blunt with it, stated.

"W-What do you mean?" Amu asked. "He's on TV! Of course he's famous!"

"No, he's not. His name and image are famous, so I suppose in that respect, he's a celebrity, but his magic isn't. So, if you go by that logic, he's not really a famous magician at all," Sakura frowned.

{-}

The young pinkette was making her way home, holding the rose delicately by the stem as she walked down the road. Her thoughts were consumed with how she was going to help the boy, but she knew in her heart of hearts that it would be Amu that ended up doing something. She was a real heroine, so much so that Sakura was beginning to wonder why she was a Guardian at all. Perhaps it was she who would one day become the anti-Hero?

"Haruno-sempai!" she heard someone call from behind her. Turning around, she was met by the blush face of Nagakura Takuya. It was then that she realised, with a small amount of distain, that the boy was slightly taller than her, though not by much. He was a lot shorter than Yaya, after all, so Sakura came up to the top of his ears.

"Hey. You're Nagakura-kun, right?" she asked, though she knew that was his name anyway. The boy nodded slightly and began to walk along-side her, fumbling with his fingers.

"U-Umm...You can just call me Takuya. The other Guardians do," he told her shyly, much different from his personality as Zero.

"Yeah," she snorted, "I'll be sure to call you by your first name when I'm taller than you," Sakura sighed as he took notice of her height with a slight smile and a laugh.

"Well, I suppose you are pretty small for a fifth grader," he commented. Sakura glared at him and the boy swallowed his words. "A-Anyway, I wanted to know what you thought of my magic. My...My _real_ magic, that is."

"My favourite trick," Sakura smiled a little as she held up the rose. His blush returned quickly and he turned away. "Though the card-trick was pretty cool too, I guess. It's nice to know that you're not a complete faker."

"T-Thanks, I guess," he smiled as she turned the corner. "Oh, you're house is that way?"

"Y-Yeah...My house," Sakura mumbled with a sigh. "I'll see you whenever, Nagakura-san," she waved over her head as she made her way to her apartment, throwing off her hat and placing the rose in a vase. Sakura looked at it with a smile and got changed into a comfortable pair of black shorts and a very long blue jumper that could have been worn as a dress, since it stopped just above her top-of-the-knee shorts. It had long sleeves that fell over her knuckles, too.

_Ring-Ring_

_Ring-Ring_

"Hello?" Sakura answered her phone, hearing Amu on the other side.

"Hi! We need to meet up somewhere to talk about Takuya-kun and –"

"No, thanks," she sighed, hanging up. They'd come to a conclusion of what to do without her help and, having no ideas of her own, Sakura knew she'd be useless to them in that meeting.

{-}

When Sakura got to school the next day, she spent most of her free time helping the other Guardians set up for Amu's idea. All they needed was a stage – which was mostly put up by Kukai and Tadase, with a little help from the girls where needed – and props, which were supplied by the school's Chairman, who was all for the idea. Sakura only had a problem with the final thing they needed, which was...

"No way!" the girl rejected, her arms crossed in front of her.

"But, Haruno!" pouted Amu. "I made this costume for you so that you could go on stage as Cherry Blossom, his assistant! It's really cute!"

"I don't _do_ 'cute', in case you haven't noticed," she growled back, turning away from the pretty kimono that Amu – well, Suu – had made.

"It doesn't have to be _you_, Haruno-san," Nadeshiko smiled. "That's the beauty of it. Not only will you have a mask, but you're known around the school as a boy, not a girl. No one will know it's really you."

"I...I guess. But _you_ guys will know, and that's bad enough!" she continued weakly, knowing that she was losing the argument. "I...I...Fine, give me the costume."

"Yay!" they all cheered as she walked to the changing room to put it on. When Sakura came out, she glared at Amu through her mask – the girl, in her excitement, had gone to get Yaya, Kukai and Tadase to see the costume on her.

"Lookin' good, Haruno; or should I call you 'Cherry Blossom' now?" Kukai laughed slightly, receiving the glare for himself.

"You look super cute, Sakura-chi!" Yaya stated gleefully, running around Sakura to look at the whole costume.

It consisted of a light grey kimono that trailed the floor at the back, but cut off at a sloped angle so that it fell to her thighs at the front. Over it was another kimono, a white one, which did the same, but was a little shorter so that you could still see the under kimono. Her obi was gold and tied at the back in a bow larger than she had ever had before, the ends of which also trailed on the floor behind her. Her mask matched the obi in colour and fitted perfectly to her face, unlike the outwards points on Shining Zero's mask.

She also had a gold headband in her hair that had a silver 'S' on it. Her boots were a darker grey than the kimono and had a low point at the front and slight heals. Her hair fell normally to just below her hips, flowing in wavy locks due to being in her hat all through the day. Sakura looked in the mirror and sighed in relief when she knew for herself that no one would recognise her at all, no matter how closely they looked.

"Ha-Haruno-sempai?" stuttered Shining Zero, seeing his sempai in a similar costume to his own.

"No, she's Cherry Blossom! You're helpful assistant," Amu winked.

"You said you'd need help for some of your acts, so we made a costume for her as well, since she was the least likely to be recognised," Nadeshiko explained softly. "We'll leave you to run through the act while we introduce you."

"O-Okay," Takuya nodded, his eyes never leaving Sakura. "So, what I need you to do is basically just go along with all my tricks. I...I want it to be a surprise for you too, so is it alright if I wait until we're on stage to tell you what you need to do?"

"That's fine," Sakura smiled slightly, looking at his costume. It was just like Zero, but in the same shades and tones as her own. He clapped his hands twice and, when he pulled them apart, he was holding a cherry blossom in his hands.

"I thought since, you know, you're stage-name is Cherry Blossom and all, that you should have a Cherry Blossom," he smiled, putting it in her hair. "Thank you for helping me, sempai."

"No problem, but...I do what to know one thing," Sakura began, frowning at the flower he was giving her. "Do you like me?" she asked, seeing him stumble back with a bright red face. "So, that's a 'yes', I assume?"

"W-Well...I mean, I...Y-Yes-s?" he replied nervously. "Is that...okay?"

"I guess it is, but...I don't like you in that way," she told him. "I noticed that you keep giving me flowers and I didn't want to lead you on or anything."

"No, it's completely fine," he smiled. "I'm just glad you told me now rather than letting me make a fool of myself later. So, thanks, I guess," he shrugged. They listen and he heard his cue, smiling. "It's time for the show!" Takuya grinned, pulling Sakura towards the stage. "Just stay right here and wait until I introduce you," he said, performing his entrance.

"He's a pretty good magician," Sakura smiled to her Charas, who had joined her after she got to the curtain.

"Yep!" giggled Katsumi, "And he _really_ likes _you_!" she continued. Sakura sighed and shook her head, listening to what was happening on the stage.

"My name is Shining Zero!" she heard him call out to the audience. "I am the Magician of Light!" he added, hearing the crowd roar in applause. "And this is my lovely assistant, Cherry Blossom!" the boy added as Sakura took her cue and, moving as gracefully as she could manage in the heavy costume, walked out onto the stage, hearing every gasp as she bowed.

"So what now?" the pinkette muttered to the boy as he grinned at her.

He preformed his tricks, Sakura only stepping in when he asked her to do things like blow on the box or say the magic words – "It's time to shine" – but they mostly said those together. Takuya was really having fun, and it showed through his expression and voice, and Sakura couldn't exactly say that she was bored either, being on stage with someone who was performing real magic – or, at least, as real as it could possibly get.

The Guardians helped out with one trick, setting up two closed towers of cards while Takuya led Sakura to one. Both of the towers were then covered with a final card so that no one could see inside of them and he said the magic words, which the crowd had started to cheer with him, as a loud burst of smoke appeared around the card tower Sakura was in.

Yaya, Amu and Nadeshiko, who were holding this tower, let go of the cards to show that Sakura was no longer there. Another burst of smoke appeared in the second tower and Tadase and Kukai let it drop to show Sakura, who twirled and bowed before raising her hands towards Shining Zero, who got even more applause than he did as Zero when he made a public appearance.

"This has been Shining Zero, his beautiful assistant Cherry Blossom and the Guardians!" Amu called, obviously Chara-Changed with Ran, as she gave the crowd the peace-sign.

"Thank you!" Shining Zero and Cherry Blossom called out together as he took Sakura's hand and they both bowed. Sakura couldn't help but grin widely as she looked over the crowd, knowing that Takuya was doing the same.

{-}

"Cheers!" everyone in the Royal Garden called. All of the Guardians, with the exception of Amu and Sakura, were sat around the table with Takuya, toasting their tea and soda to a job well done.

"That was awesome! I'm pumped!" cheered Yaya. Takuya, now dressed in his school uniform, smiled at her.

"I know someone here who isn't pumped at all," Kukai grinned, turning to look at Amu, who was gloomy since she had Chara-Changed in front of the whole school. Laughing nervously, Nadeshiko turned to the magician.

"Takuya-kun, did you enjoy performing?" she asked him. He turned and looked up at her with a wide smile.

"Very much; it even felt as though I heard his voice for the first time in a while, too!" he stated happily. Sakura, who had just come back from changing, looked over to him when he said that.

"His voice?" repeated Sakura, catching everyone's attention.

"Yes, the voice of my friend, Zero," he answered her with a blush. Sakura resisted sighing at the sight of it, choosing to let him keep his crush, as long as he understood that she didn't like him back in the same way. "I used to have an imaginary friend. I took my stage name, Zero, from him."

"It was a Shugo Chara," Sakura heard Tadase whisper to Kukai.

"Maybe he came to dislike me because I wasn't happy, even after my dream came true," he carried on with an upset smile. "Because, before I knew it, I couldn't even see Zero anymore."

'_I couldn't even imagine how it would feel to be without Katsumi, Setsuko or Mari any more. It wouldn't feel right,_' Sakura thought to herself, looking at the boy sadly. She looked around and saw that everyone else was thinking almost the same thing, judging by the looks on their faces.

"But today, just for a moment, I felt like I could hear his voice again," he added happily. "He was saying 'Smile! Smile!' just like he used to," the boy grinned happily. Kukai came up behind Sakura and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Look at that," he said, pointing just behind Takuya. She gasped when she saw a red egg with cards on it. A small Chara popped out of the egg slightly and placed his finger to his lips.

"Shh!" he said quietly with glee on his face. Sakura smiled a little before brushing Kukai off, causing him to pout.

"Takuya-kun!" called Amu, who had also seen the egg. "You'll definitely be able to see Zero again."

"Really?" he asked with a smile.

"Without a doubt," Sakura replied, looking up at the younger boy.

{-}

Sakura and Takuya were walking down the street, like they did the day before, but this time he was chattering on about his performance and how he was so grateful to everyone, especially her, since he knew how hard it must have been for someone like her to put on that costume to help him. Sakura, for the most part, just listened and nodded rather than actually take an active part in the conversation, but that seemed to please him just fine.

"Ah, sensei!" he called in surprise when Nikaido appeared in front of them suddenly. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Nikaido _Yuu_, that is.

"Hello, Takuya-kun! The Chairman asked me to escort you to the recording studio," he stated with a short wave of his hand. "Your friend can come too, if she wants to," he added, seeing Sakura's long hair and almost smirking. _'Not only do I have the boy, but the one the Boss wants to join Easter. This is my lucky day._'

"He did?" Takuya asked suspiciously, not that Sakura blamed him.

"Yes," Nikaido smiled, gesturing to his orange car, which seemed too cool-looking for his personality. "Come, now, get it," he said, walking to the car.

"O-Okay," the boy agreed. "Are you coming, Haruno-sempai?" he asked the girl, who nodded.

"Alright," she smiled slightly to him, getting into the car with the boy and her sensei. Takuya sat in the front seat, next to Nikaido, while Sakura sat in the back, in the seat just behind the magician, so that she could keep an eye on the teacher.

They arrived at the studio fairly quickly and Sakura waited inside, looking around the set, while Takuya went to meet his boss in his dressing room. The set was just as cool as it looked on the TV and Sakura could imagine how much fun it would be for him to perform real magic here, rather than the fake stuff he's forced to perform. She sighed and sat on the stage as her Charas flew around, waiting for him to get back.

Her eyes widened when she felt a darkened egg and she looked up, seeing with slight anxiousness, that Nikaido had disappeared, and he certainly couldn't perform magic. She gulped and ran in the direction of the depressed egg, only to stop when she felt it darken to that of an X-Egg. She turned quickly to Setsuko, who nodded.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her in unseen winds. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing them the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy.

"Nagakura-san!" she called, seeing if she could wake him up, but only drew attention to her.

"It's X Time!" the X-Chara called. "Black Magic!" it yelled, sending a stream of cards towards her. Sakura jumped over them and saw that, when they hit the wall, it collapsed. The ceiling began to crumble without the support and Sakura hurried to pick up Takuya on her back, carrying him to the set and placing him down where he would be safe.

"Rose Gunsen!" she called, blue sparkles appearing in her hands and falling away to reveal a dark blue war fan with iron bars in each hand. The X-Chara followed her and used 'Black Magic' again, but this time Sakura managed to wave her fans, the blue winds blowing the cards away, rendering them useless.

She listened carefully and heard his voice behind the X-Chara, accusing everyone of only wanting a flashy show. She was about to say something, but another attack cut her off. It sliced her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood, before she was able to keep the rest away with her Kama. Sakura looked past the X-Chara and her eyes softened when she saw the pain of Takuya's face.

"If all people wanted to see was a flashy show, then why did everyone love Shining Zero so much?" she asked him gently, seeing the shock on the X-Chara's face. "It wasn't flashy, but they knew in their hearts that it had to be real, because it was in front of their very eyes. That's what people love about magic; not the CG, but the illusion itself."

"Black Magic!" called the X-Chara again, attacking her. Sakura dropped her Gunsen and opened her arms, allowing the attack. Just before it hit, she smiled brightly.

"Smile; smile!" she said, knowing he would hear it. The attack stopped suddenly and the X-Chara froze. "Shugo-X-Chara – Target!" Sakura said as her body beginning to glow as she rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the X-Chara, breathing a sea of blue sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the X-Chara. It glowed blue and began to smile as the X cracked into pieces and it's outer skin to peel off, revealing an actual Shugo Chara underneath. Sakura smiled slightly as the Chara became the magician that looked so much like Zero.

"Thank you, Saku-chan!" smiled the boy, his arms above his head as he looked towards his owner.

"I'm just glad that I managed to stop that attack," she smiled slightly, winking at him. Setsuko flew out of her and she ran towards the boy, helping him up as he awoke from his slumber. "Are you okay, Nagakura-san?"

"Huh? I..." he trailed off, seeing who was in front of him.

"It's been a while, Takuya-kun! Smile! Smile!" grinned Zero.

"Zero!" recognised Takuya with a wide smile and tears in his eyes. Sakura stepped back a little, her own smile still in place as she looked at the cherry blossom the boy had given her.

"Smile, smile...huh?"


	13. Without a Voice, Without a Tear

Chapter Thirteen

Sakura sighed as she looked out of the classroom window. Their sub-teacher wasn't in that day, so they had a sub-sub-teacher. However, at the moment, Tadase and Nadeshiko were at the front of the class, discussing who their representative for the Speech Contest. She rolled her eyes slightly as everyone put in their votes and they were counted.

"And so, the one who will represent us is –"

"Hinamori Amu, of course!" cut in two girls from their class, interrupting Tadase with a cheer. The whole class applauded while Amu looked as though she had just woken up from sleeping in class – which, of course, she had been doing.

"Man, she need to pay more attention," Mari laughed, prompting a giggle from Setsuko and a nod from Katsumi. Sakura smiled fondly at her Charas.

{-}

"Eh? You got chosen to be the representative, Amu-chi?" Yaya gasped, her hands going to her mouth.

"Yes. She got three more votes than me, and one more than Haruno-san," the King's Chair admitted with ease. Sakura smiled a little; she was glad she hadn't won the vote. She hated giving speeches almost as much as she hated writing them.

Yaya tried to explain how the contest worked and it eventually came to Amu admitting that she was sleeping in class because she was up all night thinking about how their sensei was 'evil'. Sakura, herself, never really believed in the word, but thought that there were people in the world with views different than her own, and they would therefore do things that she didn't think were right.

Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were playing with the other Charas on a separate table while the other began to plan how they were going to help Amu write her speech, getting her mind off of their old sensei and back onto what she needed to do for the school. Sakura wished her all the luck in the world for it, she really did.

"Excuse me," a grown man called from the door of the Royal Garden. "I am looking for Haruno Sakura," he said to the gathered children. Sakura took off her hat and stood up, wondering why the man would want her.

"I am Haruno Sakura," she stated, walking towards him. "Can I help you?"

"No, no," he denied, "I'm...I'm afraid that I have some very, very bad news for you," the man paused and his eyebrows pulled together in sorrow. "Perhaps you should sit down," he suggested. "It's a private matter, so..."

"Do you guys mind?" Sakura asked the other Guardians. They all smiled and went to wait outside, respecting her privacy. Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari floated over to her, settling on her shoulders.

"We were going to help Amu-chan with her speech, anyway, right? You could meet us in the library when you're done," Nadeshiko invited. Sakura nodded to her and they all left towards the library.

"You were saying?" Sakura prompted.

"I...I'm terribly sorry. I didn't want to be the one to give this sort of news to someone so young," he sighed, sitting down and running a hand through his shaggy platinum blonde hair. "My name is Takayanagi Mitsuomi. I have worked with Haruno Aki, your father, for the past three years."

"Nice to meet you," she nodded as he continued.

"Recently, there was...an accident," he coughed slightly on tears that he refused to shed and Sakura felt a chill. "We were in the Amazon Rainforest when there was a fire. He tried to save all of us, get us out of the way. Your father is a hero to many people, Haruno-san."

"Is he...okay?" she asked, though she knew what answer to expect.

"I'm very sorry," he shook his head as tears gathered in Sakura eyes. "Your father is...no longer with us."

"No," Sakura whispered, hot liquid burning like lava in her eyes. She shook her head in denial and held down a sob. "No! H-He...H-He c-c-can't just...b-be g-gone! He can't be dead," she said in a strangled voice, the man placing his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"A funeral service has been arranged for him in Tokushima, since he was born there. I was told that he has no remaining family, or in-laws, leaving only you to be informed. Is that true?" he asked. Sakura nodded, still too dazed at the news to do much else. "Very well, then. I will return towards the end of the week to pick you up and take you to Tokushima. You can stay with me and my family for a while before you come back."

"T-Thank you," Sakura accepted as he stood to leave.

"If you could, would you write a small speech for the service?" he asked, seeing her nod slightly before he walked away. Sakura fell to the ground and her eyes widened, unshed tears still shining in her green orbs. She swallowed hard and chocked a sob, unable to hold it down.

"Papa," she muttered, feeling an unusual sensation in her chest. It pained her to move, even to blink as she wiped away her tears before she could cry. Doing what she always did, Sakura shoved her own feelings to the side. She wouldn't cry. The last thing she wanted was pity.

"Saku-chan..." Katsumi whispered, hugging her owner's arm as tightly as she could while Setsuko stroked her hair and Mari, showing a personality no one expected of her, began to cry. Getting up from the floor, Sakura put on her hat and held in her tears all her way home before curling up in her bed, mentally exhausted, and allowed sleep to come to her.

{-}

Sakura's eyes fluttered open slightly, her chest aching from holding in her sobs when she had heard about the news of her father. Thinking about it, she almost left herself cry, but managed to bite her lip to stop her tears from falling. The girl looked over at the time and saw that it was still rather close after the end of the school day, so the Guardians would probably still be at the school.

"I suppose I'd better apologise for running off," she sighed, standing up and changing into a pair of loose blue jeans and an ice blue, woolly jumper. Sakura then pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and rubbed her eyes, deciding that she needed to wash her face.

"Are you okay, Saku-chan?" Setsuko asked cautiously. Katsumi and Mari were behind her, all three worried about their owner. Sakura smiled a little and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear before splashing her face with cold water.

"No," she replied, drying her skin and looking out of the bathroom window. "I think that it's unfair. There are plenty of children out there with horrible fathers, who abuse them and ignore them. Why couldn't one of their fathers have died instead? Why did my Papa, a great and loving father, have to be the one to pass on, when I have no one else in the world? It...It's just not fair..."

"S-Saku-chan," Mari muttered. All of the Charas knew that Sakura wanted nothing more than to scream, to cry, to let her heart mourn her father's death, but she would never do that. Sakura fell to her bathroom floor, her shoulders shaking with contained anger and grief. She sniffed once, not a tear staining her face, and stood up, pulling on her white trainers.

"Come on. I want to see if I can catch someone before they all leave," she called, walking to the door with her Charas following her. As she walked down the street, her mind wandered. She began to think about what she would say at the funeral, how she could word what she felt.

"Saku-chan," Katsumi called, waving her little hand in front of Sakura's face.

"Huh?" Sakura muttered, snapping out of her daze and noticing that she was in front of the school. Shaking her head, Sakura walked towards the Royal Garden, sighing when she noticed no one was there. So she headed to the library, only to find it void of Guardians.

"Looking for something?" someone asked from behind her. Sakura turned sharply and saw the school's Chairman – who Amu thought, funnily enough, was only a caretaker.

"Oh, I was just searching for the other Guardians," she told him. He knew about her true gender, and so also knew who she was, even when she was dressed as Sakura rather than Saku.

"Really?" the Chairman asked, "I think they've all gone home," he smiled. "Can I pass along a message?"

"Well...I'm going to be out of town for a while," she began, looking down. "My father...passed away," the girl added, feeling – strangely enough – like she could tell him anything.

"I'm sorry," he sympathized but, unlike others, he seemed genuinely sorry for her loss. Sakura shrugged a little.

"Don't tell them that I've gone to a funeral. Just say that I'll be back in two weeks at the very most."

"Alright, Sakura-san," he smiled, watched her as she left the school. Sakura walked back home, suddenly too tired to do anything but sleep.

{-}

The day soon came when Sakura was going to be travelling to Tokushima to stay with the family of Takayanagi Mitsuomi. It was Monday and the funeral was scheduled for Tuesday. This gave her time to recover from travelling and prepare herself properly before the event. Mitsuomi arrived at lunch to pick her up in his little green car.

Sakura, dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a dark blue top and an orange jacket that once belonged to a friend of hers, walked out of the door with one suitcase full of the belonging she would need. She nodded to the man as she got into the car, her suitcase on the back seats, and they drove away.

{-}

It took a while, but they finally made it to Tokushima. Sakura got out of the car and retrieved her suitcase, holding it in front of her as she followed Mitsuomi into the house. They took off their shoes and walked into the front room, where a woman and three children were watching cartoons. The woman looked up, her eyes brightening upon seeing her husband.

"Mitsuomi-kun," she cooed, embracing him while the three children turned, grinning brightly.

"Papa!" they called, running towards him and barrelling into his legs. The woman let go and turned to Sakura, her eyes becoming sad.

"Hello," she greeted, "You must be Haruno Sakura," the woman acknowledged her, taking in her pink hair and the eyes that reminded her so much of Kathleen – Sakura's mother. Sakura didn't reply to the woman's statement verbally, settling with a nod of her head. The three children looked away from their father and up at her in awe. "My name is Takayanagi Maya, Mitsuomi-kun's wife," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Takayanagi-san," Sakura bowed. The children stepped forwards, one of the girls tugging on her mother's skirt.

"Mama, who's she?" the little girl asked. Maya looked down and sighed, scooping up the smallest child, the other girl.

"This is Haruno Sakura. Haruno-san, these are my children; Chi, Hana and Roku," she said, pointing to the girls and then the boy in order.

Chi, who looked around nine, had dark brown hair with freckles all over her pale face and bright brown eyes that reminded her of Yaya's in a way. Hana, slightly smaller and obviously younger than Chi, looking to be about seven, had blonde hair, like her father, and her mother's dark blue eyes, but with only a few freckles across the bridge of her nose. The youngest and only boy, Roku, looked to be around four, with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, no freckles showing on his skin, though he did have one little chickenpox scar to the side of his nose.

"Hi," Roku whispered, hiding behind his mother's legs when Sakura looked down to see him. His eyes widened when Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari – who had previously been sleeping in their eggs inside Sakura's bag, floated around her.

"Haruno-san, you will be staying in the guest room. It's just up the stairs, third room to your left," Maya smiled, putting Hana on the floor and turning to her husband. Roku reached out for Katsumi, but hesitated.

It seemed that he was the only one who saw them, for his two sisters went back to watching cartoons. As Maya and Mitsuomi went into the kitchen, Roku stayed in the hall, staring between Sakura and her Charas. Sakura blinked and picked up her suitcase, carrying it up the stairs and walking into the third room to her left, just as Maya had instructed. Roku followed behind her the whole way.

After putting down her bag and placing the eggs in their basket on the table by the side of the bed, Sakura turned and raised an eyebrow at the boy. He continued to stare at her and there was something in his dark blue eyes that reminded her of someone. Shaking her head, Sakura moved around him to go back down the stairs, Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari following behind her.

"He's following you, Saku-chan," Mari told her, whispering in Sakura's ear. The girl twitched and turned to stare back at the boy when they got to the bottom of the stairs. She continued to glare towards him until his mother came rushing forwards, pulling him away.

"I'm sorry, Haruno-san," she apologised quickly, "Roku-kun! Don't be so rude around our guest!"

"But, Mama, she gots fwoaty fings awound her!" the boy whined childishly as Sakura let her eyes flicker to each of her Charas. So, the boy truly could see them.

"Once again, I'm sorry," she sighed, pulling the boy towards the kitchen. The pinkette shrugged before going back up to the guest room and going over the speech she was planning to read. Her eyes found the sky, dark and speckled with stars. Maya was putting Roku and Hana to bed now, but Chi got to stay up for a while longer.

"I...I miss you, Papa," she whispered, walking to the window and opening it, letting the cool breeze fly over her face. Her Charas got into their eggs to rest while Sakura sat on the edge of her bed, window open, reading over her speech with a heavy heart and eyes full of tears that she would not allow herself to cry.

{-}

"Haruno-san," someone called through the door of the room Sakura slept in that night, knocking on the wood.

"Yes?" Sakura, who had been awake for the past half hour, called back. She was brushing her hair after washing and brushing her teeth, but had yet to get dressed for the day.

"Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes," Maya stated, walking back down the hall. Sighing, Sakura reached for the clothes she had brought for the funeral; a black kimono with a white obi and no decorations. After she had gotten dressed, Sakura pulled her hair back into a ponytail and sighed again, hearing a knock on the door.

"Oneetan?" a young voice sounded. Sakura turned and walked to the door, opening it and smiling at Roku.

"Good morning, Roku-kun," Sakura greeted as he looked up at her in awe.

"You wook pwetty, Oneetan," he grinned, holding out his arms. Sakura knew that he wanted to be picked up, but she wasn't the sort of person who would go out of her way to be social.

"Is your mother downstairs?" she asked him. Roku looked upset, like he was about to cry, but nodded his head. Feeling bad, Sakura took his hand and walked down the stairs with him, taking him to where she was told the dining room was.

{-}

"And now, Aki-san's daughter, Haruno Sakura, will say a few words," the Priest stepped aside and Sakura nodded, walking to the podium. She knew this moment would come, and thought it was slightly ironic that, as she was delivering her speech here, Amu would most likely be delivering her speech as well.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sakura looked around. People were crying, adults, children, men, women; almost everyone. Sakura took a deep breath and wished that she could cry as well, but knew that it would be useless to try. It wasn't in her nature – after years of growing up by herself, having to be strong for everyone else – to cry while others needed to.

}-{

"_Smile, Saku-chan!" grinned Aki widely, holding his camera up to take a photo of his daughter in front of the Statue of Liberty. Sakura smiled and the photo was taken._

"_Papa, are we going inside?" Sakura asked, her wide eyes innocently shining with hope. Aki sighed a little, but kept smiling._

"_Sorry, Saku-chan. Papa has to work, okay? You'll be staying with Mary-san – she's going to look after you while I go around America, taking pictures and writing boring articles," he stated, trying to make it seem uninteresting._

"_O...Okay, Papa!" nodded the child, "Come home safe!" she bid, willing herself not to cry. If she did, her father might cancel his trip, and he had been looking forwards to it all month._

"_I will," he grinned, getting into his car and leaving little Sakura with the American lady she would be spending the next three months with._

}-{

"My father was a great man. He travelled the world, lived his dream and still tried to come home whenever possible to visit me," she began.

_Liar,_ said her conscience.

"He would send me presents and postcards from everywhere he went, just so that I would know where he was and what it was like."

_No, he didn't._

"My favourite gift was a glass cherry blossom that he made for me himself while he was in Rome. He...He promised that we would go there together one day and visit the coliseum," Sakura paused, hearing loud sobs from the people in front of her. How she wished she could cry too. "My father...He loved what he did and, considering the kind of person he was, I am at least happy that he died while doing something he loved."

"Thank you, Haruno-chan," the priest nodded, walking back to the podium.

{-}

Sakura was sat between Chi and Roku on the way back to the Takayanagi household. Maya and Mitsuomi had tearstains on their faces. Even Chi had cried for the loss of Aki, while Hana and Roku cried because everyone else was upset too. Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari had let themselves cry for Sakura, while the pinkette herself, the one who had lost the last member of her family, has sat in silence.

"Oneetan, why awn't you sawd?" asked Roku innocently. Sakura turned to him, not sure how to answer his question, but they arrived back in just enough time for her to avoid the question.

"Oh, Haruno-san!" gasped Maya as they were getting out of the car.

"Yes, Takayanagi-san?" questioned Sakura, turning to the women. She ran a hand through her hair and smiled weakly.

"My husband and I need to go collect the koden. Do you think you can look after the children for me? We'll only be a moment," she requested. Sakura turned away, scowling. "I understand if you don't want to...we can take them with us, they just seem a little upset and..."

"No, it's fine," Sakura agreed, putting on a fake smile.

She would _not_ cry.


	14. I Hate You, You Hate Me Not

Chapter Fourteen

Sakura, dressed in her school uniform, walked down the street, touching her blue hat around the edges to make sure it was on right. She gave a little sigh as she walked slowly past the school gates, turning towards the Royal Garden as soon as she was inside. The girl was unsure how to explain her absence to them, but she could not just stay at home for no reason, or call in and risk the Guardians finding out anyway. Besides, not only was she missing school, but her Charas were missing the others.

"Saku-chi!" screamed Yaya as she walked into the Royal Garden. They were just packing up from their morning meeting when the Ace's Chair spotted their sixth member and tackled her in a large hug.

"Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari!" cheered the other Charas as the three girls made their appearances.

"Where have you been, Haruno?" asked Amu, pulling Yaya up. Sakura dusted herself off and opened her mouth to speak when she was hugged again, this time by all of the Charas, not including Kiseki.

"Kiseki!" called Daichi, "You missed them too!" he said, turning around to face the King-Chara. All of the other stared him down too and, after a moment, Kiseki burst into tears and flew forwards, latching himself onto Sakura's cheek.

"It was horrible being around all of these commoners without _someone_ who knew how to be dignified all of the time! I missed you, my Lady!" he wailed loudly, clutching on to her. Sakura smiled a little and plucked him off of her face, handing him to Tadase.

"I just went out of town to visit some relatives," she lied. Sakura looked away from the other Guardians when her Charas frowned, but the three Shugos said nothing. "A-Anyway, how did you do in the speech contest, Hinamori?"

"I got the Judge's special prize," Amu grinned bashfully, "and we found out that Nikaido-sensei really was the one creating all those X-Eggs."

'_So, it wasn't Ikuto?'_ wondered Sakura with relief.

"It's time for class, you guys!" Kukai called out to all of them as he pushed them all out of the Royal Garden.

{-}

At the end of the day, there was another Guardian Meeting – this one mostly about how they would schedule class trips for the First Graders. Sakura, as always, remained mostly quiet during these meeting as her Charas played with the others. Everything was returning to normal, as much as she hated to admit it, though she was also slightly relieved.

"Before I forget," Tadase said as they left the Royal Garden that evening, "do you guys have any plans for this Sunday?"

"Not particularly," stated Kukai, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Why?" Yaya questioned.

"Well, I have some free passes to the aquarium," he smiled, holding out five free passes. Sakura looked around briefly and saw that everyone was happy about the idea of going, so she sighed. She would be the one they left behind, whether they planned it or not.

"Oh, they just built that place!" Yaya exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm so happy! I've wanted to see it for a while!" Nadeshiko smiled, clapping her hands together.

'_Me too,'_ Sakura sighed mentally.

"Well, then. It's decided," Kukai grinned widely.

"Are you free as well, Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked the girl who was completely in love with him. Ran, Miki and Suu flew out from behind her, smiles on all of their faces.

"Of course!" they cheered.

"Yeah!" smiled Amu. "Oh...S-Since everyone else wants to go, I guess there's no reason not to," she corrected herself. The rest of them laughed a little and turned to Sakura.

"Haruno-san?" prompted Tadase, "I don't have another pass, but you're welcome to join us anyway. When I got these, I wasn't sure if you would be back or not."

"No, that's fine," Sakura shrugged. "I'm not really into aquariums and stuff. It's too childish," she sighed, turning to leave, _'Who am I kidding? I really wanted to go! It's not fair at all...'_

"Wait up, Saku-chi!" Yaya yelled. "We can walk together!"

"Eh? You two live near each other?" Kukai asked in shock, obviously thinking that Yaya and Sakura didn't live close at all, since they never walked to school together.

"Yep!" giggled Yaya. "We walk the same way for a while, but then we turn different ways to get home."

"Really?" gasped Amu. "I walk some of the same way as Haruno, too."

"We can all walk together!" Yaya cheered. "Right, Saku...-chi..." she trailed off, seeing that Sakura had already left.

{-}

"Saku-chan, you just left them there!" Katsumi scolded with a frowned.

"Yaya-san wanted to walk home with you," Setsuko added.

"Why'd you ditch her?" Mari, abrasive as always, growled.

"She doesn't need my friendship," Sakura scowled. "Anyway, you heard what Hinamori said. They can walk together – I don't need to be there."

{-}

Sakura woke up with a wide yawn the next morning. She got up and brushed her hair before washing her face and getting dressed for the day. The girl picked out a pair of baggy blue jeans a large red shirt with a red baseball cap, throwing it on with a ponytail sticking out of the back and her bangs peaking out at the front.

She smiled at the eggs of her Charas as they continued to sleep and she ran down the stairs of her apartment building, collecting her mail and running back upstairs to her flat. She flicked through the junk mail, throwing it all away, leaving her with three letters. One of which, strangely enough, had the Easter logo on it.

"Easter?" she pondered, "What could they want with me?" Sakura mused, opening the letter swiftly.

_Haruno Sakura_

_We at Easter have been watching you for some time and have seen that you possess talents far greater than any other Guardian. For this reason, we would like to recruit you into our ranks._

_There is no time limit to this offer and you may respond at any time by coming to the Easter Building closest to you and asking to see Director Hoshina. It will be a paid job and you can move into one of the company's apartments, free of charge. All tuition fees at the schooling institution of your choice will be paid for you. In return, we will use your abilities to secure the Embryo._

_No lasting contract will be made, though we expect you to have thought out this offer long enough so that you will not have any need to quit. You will not be fired from this post easily and, if this situation occurs, we will continue to allow you to live in one of the apartments and wait until you have secured your own job before we stop paying your tuition fees._

_Think about this offer carefully._

_Hoshina __Kazuomi_

_Director of Easter_

Sakura dropped the letter onto her coffee table, scowling at it hatefully. If they thought that she would join them due to her money problems – which is what they based their argument around – they were wrong. With a heavy sigh, Sakura opened her other letters. One was telling her that her next payment for schooling was due within the month and the other was a letter from the Takayanagi family, wishing her luck with her life.

The girl shook her head, leaving all three letters on the table as she moved into her bedroom, spotting her Charas just waking up.

"Saku-chan!" the green-Chara grinned. "Are we going somewhere?" 

"Just out for a walk," Sakura shrugged. "And we'll be doing some job hunting, too."

{-}

There was no luck in searching for part-time work. No one wanted to hire a twelve-year-old, and her appearance only made her seem younger. Just as Sakura was about to give up, something stirred inside her and her eyes widened slightly. She turned and saw the aquarium behind her, the unmistakeable sight of Ikuto's energy-paw shooting out at an X-Egg.

"I knew something was up," she muttered, "Katsumi!"

"Of course!" nodded Katsumi.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hat came off, her hair falling just below her hips and floating around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose. She ran forwards, ignoring the stares of the passersby, and ran up the side of the building, sensing an X-Egg to her left.

"Heart Kama!" called Sakura as her sickle appeared in her hands. She sent a red, sparkling slash towards the egg, hitting it backwards, before flipping over and doing the same on the other side, pushing it towards Amu. Amulet Heart reached out to grab it, but missed and fell to the roof. Sakura scowled.

"What're you doing here, Haruno?" Amu asked, tilting her head as she stood back up. Sakura landed next to her and looked up at the taller girl.

"More importantly, why are you suddenly unable to do anything about an X-Egg?" she asked. Amu laughed nervously and Sakura remembered seeing Ikuto's paw-attack. She turned and her eyes narrowed at the sight of him.

"Yo," he smirked, holding up the paw as a greeting. Sakura flinched, remembering when he attacked her with it, and turned back to the egg, not sparing him a word. Ikuto looked away and sighed.

"Ikuto will distract it so the two of you can capture it!" Yoru told them. Sakura, not wanting to ignore the Chara for something his owner did, nodded.

"Right," she agreed, grabbing Amu's elbow and jumping up in the air.

"I didn't know you could float like I can," Amu stated, smiling. Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I can't. Katsumi's abilities make me able to jump high, but you're the one keeping me up," she admitted, grinning a little. Amu laughed and both turned their attention back to the egg.

"Now, Amu-chan; the X-Egg's not paying attention to us!" Ran yelled from inside Amu.

"Wait for your chance, Saku-chan," Katsumi said soothingly while Amu summoned her Heart Rod.

"I didn't know she could do that..." Sakura muttered, watching as Amu threw it and the egg dodged. The sparkle from the rod as it circled the egg enclosed on it and trapped it where it was. However, the egg was slightly stronger than anticipated.

"Now!" called Katsumi.

"Heart Kusari Gama!" yelled Sakura, a single red Kama sickle, with a length of weighted chain attached behind the head appeared in her hands, one hand holding the sickle while the other held the chain. On the end of the chain was a red, broken heart while the sickle looked identical to her usual two. "Eh?"

"You have a new weapon, too?" Amu asked, throwing her rod again. "How come your weapons always look way more dangerous than mine?"

"I'm a more dangerous person, and you're a cheerleader," Sakura smirked, holding the sickle as she threw the chain, attaching it to the Heart Rod. The Rod flew around the X-Egg, entangling it in the chain, "Now, Hinamori!"

"Negative Heart: Lock On!" Amu yelled. "Open Heart!" As the X-Egg was purified, Sakura ended her transformation with Katsumi, still smiling about her new weapon. Amu ran to catch the key that the egg dropped, but ended up hanging off of the building.

"Hinamori!" called Sakura, Chara-Changing with Mari and grabbing Amu's wrist, throwing her back onto the roof. She closed her eyes as she began to fall, feeling arms around her as Ikuto caught her, holding her. He flipped them over and landed on the ground, on his feet with Sakura still in his arms.

She opened her eyes and looked up, blushing at the sight of Ikuto's face so close to her own. Ikuto stood up and placed her on her feet as Amu, who had jumped down after Chara-Changing with Ran, approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sakura snapped out of her daze and scowled while Ikuto's ears disappeared from the top of his head.

"You could at least thank me for saving you," he sighed, leaning in towards her until their foreheads were touching. "Even if you hate me..." Ikuto added, smirking at the stubborn look on her face. Sakura backed away and turned around, seeing Tadase running up from around the corner.

"Hinamori-san!" he called, running up to the girl. Sakura noticed an obvious lack of a Queen, an Ace and a Jack; frowning, the girl turned to leave, but Ikuto took her by the elbow.

"Well, we're off, Little King," he grinned, picking Sakura up and holding her in his arms.

"Hey; put me down!" called Sakura, wriggling around as he jumped up onto a pillar, turning and allowing the four Shugo Charas to catch up. Once they were near, he leapt off again and stopped when he was outside Sakura's apartment.

"Okay, okay," he sighed, surrendering and putting her down on the roof of her apartment building. "Bye, Sakura," he bid before leaping off again. Sakura stood in shock, rubbing her arms as her Charas got closer.

"Saku-chan!" they all called out.

"Are you alright?" Setsuko asked. Sakura nodded. "What is it?"

"He...He's never called me by my name before."

{-}

Sakura sighed as she put the box down, wiping her forehead of the sweat that had collected. She looked around and spotted her boss, running over to the older woman and collecting the stack of books that a man had donated to their stand. With a smile, she placed them down on the stand, placing them into neat piles and ringing the bell on the top of the stall.

"We are now open!" she called out, letting the bell chime by itself. Katsumi and Setsuko were at a Tango Lessons stand, dancing next to the stereo, while Mari was watching the boxers perform at a stand nearby.

"How much is this book, young lady?" an elderly man smiled. Sakura smiled back as she told him the price and he bought the book. She was lucky to have gotten this job, even if it was only temporary while the bazaar was open.

"Sakura-san," her boss called, smiling in her direction. Sakura looked over at her curiously, tilting her head a little as she came closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take a break for a while. Explore the bazaar and buy something for yourself."

"Really?" asked Sakura happily. She nodded and she bowed her thanks, running around the park and looked at interest in all the stalls. Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari caught up with her when she saw some familiar faces.

"Saku-chi!" called Yaya, waving her over.

"Hey, Yuiki-san, Fujisaki-san," bowed Sakura to each of them, also bowing to Nadeshiko's house keeper. "Are you selling stuff?"

"Indeed," Nadeshiko smiled. "Baba is selling some old items of hers."

"Me too!" yelled Yaya happily, showing Sakura old plushies and toy. Sakura's eyes fell on a blue cat plushie and she tilted her head, her eyes shining, "Oho! I see something has caught your interest!" she added slyly, pointing to the plushie. Sakura blushed.

"H-How much?" asked Sakura, folding her arms. Yaya held out the plushie with a wide smile.

"For you, Saku-chi?" hummed the orangette, "Free!" Yaya explained joyfully, handing the plushie over. Sakura took it, noticing that the plushie was about the size of her torso, and smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Yuiki-san," Sakura bowed. She turned to see what Nadeshiko and her housekeeper were selling, but stopped when she saw Nadeshiko staring at her. "W-What is it?"

"I've never seen you in casual girl's clothing before, is all," Nadeshiko said quickly, looking away. Sakura looked down and looked over her clothing. She was actually wearing something that Katsumi and Setsuko believed was very cute, while Mari didn't care.

She was wearing a white tank top with a baggy light blue and lilac hoodie over it that had a pink patchwork bunny on the back. With it she had a pleated, baby blue skirt that fell just above her knees, white tights and tall brown boots that cut off at her knees and laced up. Her hair was left down with a bluebell clip holding back one of her bangs on the right side of her head.

"Oh, right," Sakura nodded, moving some of her hair off of her shoulder. She laughed a little. "I don't really like dressing like this, but I thought that it was good to be different once in a while," she shrugged, crouching down and looking over the small Japanese dolls. She smiled in awe and picked up a geisha doll, looking for the price.

"Do you like that one?" asked Baba, a warm smile on her face. Sakura nodded and pulled out the money for it, handing it over to the elderly woman.

"Sakura!" she heard her boss call. Looking over, Sakura saw a very long line forming at the stand she was helping at.

"Sorry, guys. I have to get back to work," she smiled, holding the doll gently in her hands and the large plushie under her arm. "I'll see you at school!" she called as she ran towards the stall, calling over the next customer. Eventually, the line was gone, as were most of their books and magazines.

"Umm...Excuse me," they heard someone say from behind them. Sakura was working out the price for the large stack of books her customer was buying as her boss turned around.

"Ah, Hinamori-san, hello," she recognised. Sakura turned slightly and offered a wave to Amu's mother, who nodded in reply before turning back to Sakura's boss.

"Do you happen to still have any of the stuff I donated?" she asked in a worried voice, clutching her hand to her chest. "Specifically, in a cardboard box, one called _Wild Birds Monthly_?"

"On, that?" she questioned. "I haven't sold it," the woman stated, seeing the relief in Amu's mother's eyes, "However...Sakura-san?"

"Sorry. I already sold that one," she smiled guilty as the woman's bright eyes dulled again.

"You did? Oh no..." she sighed, her face becoming very sad. Amu, Nadeshiko and Yaya ran over to them.

"Mama?" called Amu before spotting Sakura, "Eh? Haruno?" she tilted her head, confused.

"I told you she was here today! Did you believe me?" Yaya asked mockingly.

"No – dechu!" supplied Pepe. Amu turned back to her mother.

"Are we too late?" she asked, worried.

"We are. It has already been sold," she sighed, turning away.

"What? No way!" denied Amu. "Do you remember what the person who bought the magazine looked like?" she asked the woman running the stand.

"Actually, little Sakura-san sold that one," she stated as Sakura sighed at being called 'little'. "Well?"

"I remember, and we all know him very well," Sakura sighed, "He's your biggest fan, Hinamori."

"Really?" gasped Amu. "It has a picture in it that very special to my Mama and Papa. C'mon, we can find him! Maybe he's still here somewhere!"

"It's a big place, so we should split up," Nadeshiko suggested.

"I have to stay here and work, but I'll stop him if I see him," Sakura offered with a smile, sitting down and turning to her next customer as the others left to search for the boy with the magazine.

She worked hard and collected her pay at the end of the day before gathering up her things. Sakura carefully placed the Japanese doll in her bag and carried the blue cat plushie with her, still not sure why she liked it so much. As she was walking down the road towards her house, she remembered that she had heard her phone previously and checked her messages.

_We found the picture – Thanks for your help._

Sakura smiled a little and replied, happy that things were going so well for Amu and the others. With a little sigh, she entered her apartment and placed the plushie on the sofa, setting the Japanese doll down on the table before going into her room and changing into a pair of pyjamas. When she came out again, she froze.

"Ikuto?" recognised Sakura, walking towards the boy. He was sat next to her plushie, his hair the same colour as the kitty. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was reading the letter she had revived from Easter.

"You're not thinking of joining, are you?" he asked suddenly, dropping the letter next to her geisha doll and standing up, towering over her. "It wouldn't suit you at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked, a frown appearing on her face while Ikuto sighed and stepped closer.

"You shouldn't get tangled in that kind of company, not matter how in need of money you may be," he explained. Sakura, for her part, looked shocked at the suggestion that she would actually join just for the pay checks.

"I wasn't even considering it, for your information! Not that it's any of your business!" Sakura yelled. He sighed in relief and pulled her to him, hugging her close before dropping back on her sofa, pulling her with him. His eyes fell on the cat plushie and he chuckled a little.

"You missed me enough to buy that thing?" he mused, "What a creepy little stalker you are."

"Shut up!" she yelled, her cheeks turning pink. She heard her Charas in the kitchen, yelling at Yoru for putting muddy paw prints all over the side, and sighed heavily. "I'll clean it up tomorrow," she decided. Ikuto stood up and looked around before turning back to her.

"Do you have any decent movies?"

{-}

Sakura woke up the next morning, seeing the white walls of her living room and feeling heat on her side. Her eyes widened suddenly when she looked around and realised that she had fallen asleep while she and Ikuto were watching TV, ending up curled into his side while his arm was around her shoulders. In her arms was the plushie she had bought. She looked up at him and saw that he was still asleep, a soft expression on his face.

"Ikuto," Sakura whispered, tapping his chest. In his sleep, he took her hand and shifted, pulling her over him as he lay down on the sofa. Freaking out, Sakura jumped away, affectively waking up the teenager.

"Hnn?" he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "Sakura?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked him, sitting on the floor with a pout, crossing her arms. "I know that I fell asleep before you, so you could have at least moved me away."

"Why would I?" he asked carelessly, shrugging his shoulders. "You were really warm, and there was a draft," Ikuto smirked, leaning back in her sofa and folding his arms behind his head. "Besides, you seemed so comfortable. Are you sure you're not in love with me?"

"That could have happened with anyone!" she defended, an image of Kukai pushing itself to the front of her mind without her consent.

"Oh, really?" he sighed lightly, "Now I feel so unloved."

"Would you just stop being such a drama cat already," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. Ikuto stood up and walked over to her, sitting behind her and wrapping his arms around her neck, placing his chin on her head. "W-What're you doing?"

"This is comfortable," he stated simply. Unable to reply to his blunt statement, Sakura gave in and leaned in towards him, letting his body heat warm her up.

"...I still hate you."

"Liar," he said, his smirk making impossible for her to be angry anymore.


	15. Lavenders Blue Dilly Dilly

Chapter Fifteen

After the pinkette had finally managed to kick Ikuto out, she took a shower and changed her clothes. She dressed herself in a black hoodie that had cat's ears on the hood, zipping it up over a plain navy blue tank top. The sleeves of the hoodie were baggy, going over her hands, and were blue and black striped while the torso of it was black. She pulled on a short, blue pleated skirt and black and blue striped stockings with tall black boots.

"How do I look?" asked Sakura, looking in the mirror. Katsumi gave her a thumbs-up while Setsuko smiled. Mari, meanwhile, looked at her and grinned, shaking her head slightly.

"You're turning kinda girly, Saku-chan!" she snorted, tugging on the skirt. The pinkette rolled her eyes and scooped Mari up, leaving her floating next to her sisters.

"I am _not_ turning 'girly', Mari," Sakura denied, straightening the skirt out. She walked to her door, picking up the envelope with her rent money in it, and left her apartment with her Charas floating behind her. Dropping the rent money on her landlord's desk, the girl skipped outside and took a deep breath.

"Are we going somewhere special, Saku-chan?" Katsumi asked, tilting her head to the side. Sakura grinned.

"I have to work, but then I thought we'd all go out for food," she stated happily, stepping towards the ice cream parlour. Her Charas looked slightly confused, but shrugged it off and followed Sakura into the ice cream parlour. Naomi, still a spoilt brat, was sitting at one of the tables with her newest Teen Gossip magazine.

Smiling towards the older girl, who commented about how she was getting more annoying every day, Sakura walked into the changing room and tied her hair back with a green hair tie before hopping over to her locker and pulling out her uniform. She slipped on her green, knee-length skirt, which had white underskirts, and her green shirt with bubble sleeves, as well as a white, heart-shaped apron.

The girl then fixed her green, frilly headband in her hair and pulled her green dolly-shoes on her feet, stepping in them to make sure they were on right. The girl checked herself in the mirror and Katsumi clapped at the girly look, while Setsuko was pleased with the feminine look and Mari just liked the colour. She smiled at them and made a small pot of chocolate ice cream for them to share while she dealt with the early customers.

{-}

Sakura was humming to herself as she walked down the road, her Charas in front of her, acting out a battle between Lonely Heart – played by Katsumi – an X-Chara – courtesy of Mari – and a damsel in distress – poor little Setsuko. She passed a small cafe and paused, looking in through the window. She saw Amu, Nadeshiko and Yaya sitting in the cafe with none other than Kukai himself.

"What're they – huh?" she stiffened when she saw a woman walk over, watching as she and Kukai conversed so naturally. A scowl found her face when the woman turned to talk to the girls. She turned to leave when the woman grabbed Kukai in an almost hug, but it was too late.

"Saku-chi!" called Yaya, standing from her seat and waving her over. Of course, when Yaya spotted her, the other three began to gesture her to come inside as well. Sighing slightly, Sakura entered the shop and sat in the only open seat, next to Amu and also near Kukai.

"So, it's her, huh?" the woman whispered to Kukai as he blushed heavily and began to shake his head, denying what she had said. Sakura, not knowing what she was going on about, rested her head on her hand and sighed slightly.

"Haruno, is something wrong?" Amu asked her loudly. Sakura blinked, her frown still in place, and looked up at the other pinkette.

"No, it's nothing. Nothing is wrong," Sakura stated through her teeth, clenching her fists. She didn't know why she was suddenly so upset about that woman being so close to Kukai.

"Hey, Shion, do that thing you always do!" Kukai encouraged. Sakura looked away and sighed again, resting her head on the table. Kukai was never so comfortable around her and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was...

"Jealous," said a voice, breaking her thoughts.

"W-What?" asked Sakura, sitting up straight and staring wide-eyed at the woman, Shion.

"She's jealous?" questioned Amu, looking at Sakura.

"You asked me why I thought she looked so down, did you not?" smiled Shion brightly. "Well, I think she might just be jealous," the woman leaned towards the smallest girl, not including the Charas, at the table with a cheeky grin. "So, tell me, who's the lucky guy?"

"I don't have to tell you _anything_," Sakura scowled, getting up and walking out of the cafe.

{-}

"Haruno!" called Amu when she saw her in school on Monday. The six Charas flew at each other and began chatting happily while Amu approached her Twin Joker. "Why did you just run off the other day?"

"I don't know," Sakura shrugged. "I guess Shion-san and I didn't have compatible personalities."

"Yeah, as if," Amu scoffed. "Is it because she was right? About you being jealous of someone?"

"No!" denied Sakura, just a little too quickly. Amu raised a brow and smiled.

"Right," she nodded unbelievingly. "Anyway, the Guardian Meeting is in the Music Room today."

"Whatever," Sakura shrugged. "I might be a little late. I have to make some phone calls later, but I'll be there for sure," she assured with a nod as Amu took her seat. Sakura eyes narrowed and she clutched the phone number in her hand.

{-}

"Hey, guys," Sakura smiled as she walked into the music room. "Sorry I'm late."

"No problem," Tadase smiled back, gesturing to a seat for her. Sakura sat down and glanced at the piano, blinking when she saw the pouting Yaya. The carrot-head's eyes lit up and she turned.

"Saku-chi, you think I'm a good pianist, right?" she asked, slamming on the keys as heavily as she could. Sakura winced.

"Yuiki-san, please stop," she bit her up. "I'm sure that, in some cultures, what you're doing would be considered fine music, but not here."

"Well, if you think you could do better –!"

"Can you play?" Nadeshiko asked curiously. "You always get such good grades in music when we're studying songs and such, so you must be able to read scores some."

"I...I can only play one song," Sakura stated truthfully. "It's an old English lullaby called _Lavenders Blue_," she explained as she sat down, her fingers finding the keys before the song was played. It was a short song, very simple and only a few seconds long, but Yaya was amazed.

"That's so cool, Saku-chi!" Yaya declared while Sakura blushed.

"When I was travelling with my...Papa, he wanted me to learn to play an instrument," she explained. "However, I wasn't really interested in music and so I only took piano lessons to please him – I have really clumsy fingers, too, so it might be a good thing that I never got into it like I did with martial arts. I learnt to read scores but, because of my lack of interest and talent, I only really got around to learning one song."

"It's really pretty," Amu praised as Sakura stood up, letting Yaya sit back at the piano.

"Can you teach it to me?" Yaya asked. Sakura looked at her and shook her head slowly.

"Sorry, but I'm no piano teacher, Yuiki-san," Sakura shrugged. As Yaya pouted, Kukai looked at her with half-lidded eyes. He grinned briefly.

"You play nice," he acknowledged.

"Enough about playing the piano, we have a lot to plan!" Yaya cheered.

"Serious stuff – dechu!" added Pepe.

"Plan for what?" asked Sakura, blinking once in confusion. Yaya grinned.

"To turn the sibling love between Shion-tan and Kukai into more!" laughed Yaya, she and Nadeshiko forming an alliance. Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she looked down.

"Oh, is that all?" she asked, her eyes glancing towards the window, "I need to go, you guys. Sorry," Sakura said quickly, gathering her bag and making sure Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were behind her as she went.

{-}

_We need your help! Come to the mall_

Sakura blinked as she read her latest message from Amu and sighed, turning around. She had just left the mall, having bought a new top after outgrowing one of her old ones, but knew it had to be something important. If Amu was texting her about some sale or some 'really cool shop', like Yaya did, she would die a painful death. She walked into the mall and looked around, spotting a crowd of X-Eggs. A cold sensation fell over her when she saw Kukai run towards her.

"Haruno!" called Kukai, waving his arms. "Shion!" he recognised, turning away from the pinkette running towards one of the people sitting on the benches in front of a small stage. Sakura eyes filled with jealously and she turned to look back at the eggs as Kukai checked on his friend.

"Soma-sempai, the X-Eggs," Sakura said, watching the X-Egg begin to move away. Kukai looked up and ran towards them, Sakura following behind him quickly with Amu nowhere in sight. "Where's Hinamori?"

"I don't know!" Kukai replied. "We have to trap them somehow. Then we can get her to cleanse them."

'_I...I can cleanse eggs too, though,'_ Sakura recalled sadly, knowing that he was overlooking her abilities. Her face hardening, Sakura took the lead and Chara-Changed with Mari, a large bat appearing in her hands.

"Haruno?" the boy whispered. Sakura scowled and lifted the bat, swinging it towards the eggs.

"We need to get them somewhere closed off," Sakura told him, pointing to a large room, the door slightly ajar. Kukai nodded and Chara-Changed with Daichi, the two of them working together to steer the eggs into the room. When they were all in the room, Kukai shut the door.

"Yes! They're all in the room!" Daichi grinned, sticking his thumbs up.

"Now you can't get away," Kukai grinned.

"Let's go, Kukai!" Daichi suggested as Sakura stepped back, nodding to Mari quietly. She Chara-Changed with the Green Chara again and turned towards Daichi and Kukai, who were now on skateboards, as they sprung forwards, catching all of the eggs and placing them into a sack that Kukai had found laying on the ground.

"I'll take that, you guys catch the eggs," Sakura said, stepping forwards and taking hold of the bag. Kukai grinned as he and the four Charas began collecting every egg they could get a hold of, throwing them towards Sakura as she lifted the sack, trapping the X-Eggs.

"That X-Egg smells like Shion," Daichi stated suddenly. Kukai paused and looked up at it, confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked his Chara. The girls, Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, floated forwards and looked at the egg.

"That's definitely Shion's X-Egg," Daichi noted, pointing to it. The female Shugo Charas turned and looked at their owner, who had heard the concern in Kukai's voice. She frowned and began collecting the X-Eggs on her own, having to jump to get them, as she was far too short on her own.

"I'll definitely protect Shion's dream," Kukai decided, a determined look on his face. Sakura, who was dangling in the air after catching a particularly strong X-Egg, stared at him sadly and let go, aiming for another egg before stopping and nodding towards Setsuko.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her in unseen winds. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing them the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy. Now that she had transformed, the Egg Catching would go a lot faster.

They had eventually caught almost all of the eggs, only a few more remaining in the air. Kukai grinned at Sakura and she nodded, running towards him. Her foot landed on his linked hands and he threw her further into the air, allowing her to grab two X-Eggs and throw them towards him, both going right into the sack. As she landed, Sakura's eyes sparkled at the fun they were having collecting the eggs.

"Nice one!" Kukai hollered, throwing his thumbs up. The door opened and closed as Amu came inside the room. She immediately transformed with Miki into Amulet Spade and Kukai opened the sack, throwing all of the X-Eggs into one group.

"Open Heart!" Amu yelled, cleansing all of the eggs. Or, what they thought were all of them.

"Kukai, Shion's egg didn't get cleansed!" Daichi pointed out. Everyone looked in shock at the one remaining X-Egg and Kukai turned to Amu, who shook her head weakly.

"I can't; cleansing all of those eggs really wore me out," Amu told him sadly, turning to Sakura. "Can you try it? I know that you've only cleansed Shugo Chara eggs before, but –"

"No," Sakura scowled, walking towards the X-Egg and grabbing it before it could fly away. She held it out towards them, frowning. "If she could let go of her dream so easily, she doesn't deserve to have one."

"Haruno!" yelled Amu in a scolding tone, stepping quickly towards her. She stopped when Sakura tightened her grip on the egg, a crack appearing in the shell. "What're you doing?"

"Let go of her egg!" Kukai, his voice hurt and angry, hissed at her. Sakura's eyes widened slightly at his tone, but she wasn't overly surprised. She sighed and held the egg close, focusing on it.

"I refuse to heal this egg," she whispered, looking at the egg. "I refuse to heal it for Shion-san's sake."

"Muri-Muri!" the egg called, struggling out of Sakura's grip as her hands tightened more and more, eventually shattering the dark egg. Kukai and Amu looked at her in shock, about to yell before her hands began to glow blue.

"I refuse. I will never do _anything_ for Shion," she gritted her teeth, opening her hands and releasing a now pure Heart's Egg. It flew out of the room, towards Shion, no doubt, and Sakura scowled.

"Haruno?" asked Amu as she turned back to normal. Setsuko flew out of Sakura, her turning back to normal with a pop of sparkles, and turning away.

"Just because I don't like Shion-san, doesn't mean I'd be cruel enough to destroy her dream," Sakura said angrily. "I can only heal Shugo-Eggs or broken eggs, remember? I just wish that you'd have a little more faith in me," she added, walking away from the two of them with her Charas floating behind her.

{-}

"We're going to see her off?" Katsumi asked as Sakura walked into the train station, spotting a familiar teenager on the platform. "I thought you didn't like her!"

"I don't," Sakura muttered. "But I kind of judged her quickly. If she and Soma-sempai are so close, then she can't be all that bad."

"I agree," Setsuko nodded while Mari pulled a face. Sakura walked towards her and tapped the girl on her shoulder.

"Haruno-san?" recognised Shion. Sakura winced a little, wishing that the teen didn't know her name, but sighed.

"I'm sorry if I seemed hostile to you," Sakura apologies, bowing. Shion looked surprised at the sudden statement and smiled a moment later, placing her hand on Sakura's head.

"You're jealous of _me_," she said simply. Sakura's face turned dark and she looked up at Shion, a scowl present on her doll-like face. "Don't take it the wrong way! I just...I know that you're jealous of how close I am to Kukai."

"S-Soma-sempai?" she stuttered, "What're you talking about?" asked Sakura nervously, shaking her head while Shion laughed.

"You can dislike me all you want, but not for my blindness towards people's emotions, Haruno-san," Shion smiled. "I can see that you and Kukai like each other, whether you both want to admit it or not. He's...He's a lucky guy."

"He is?" Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes. Shion nodded firmly.

"Of course he is," she said, "and I'll be sure to tell him that."

"But –!" Sakura cut herself off, seeing Amu running towards Shion, waving. She looked away and sighed. "I have to go. I don't want to run in to Hinamori or anyone," she stated, turning and running out of the train station.

{-}

'_Sunday, at last,'_ thought Sakura thankfully.

It was the last day of the sale and Sakura was glad she wasn't stuck at home waiting for something to arrive, like some people. She's heard that Amu, being the mature older sister, had volunteered to stay home and wait for a crab delivery so that her parents and little sister could go to a party/dance recital thing.

The first hundred people got an original pouch as a gift – meaning free. Also, you'd get double the points when you bought stuff, and also that you would have the opportunity to double your chance at winning on a scratch card prize-draw, somehow. All in all, she wondered how Amu would survive without experiencing this sale. Smirking a little, Sakura entered the shop.

_Number 100_

Her smirk widened slightly as she received the last original pouch they were offering. She looked at it, turning it over, before deciding that it wasn't her style; and besides, Amu really deserved a treat for being so responsible.

{-}

Sakura, after a full day of shopping, yawned widely. Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were in her bag – in their eggs – asleep. They were also tired after having been into a doll shop and having Sakura buying them all hats and clothes. The three were unsure about why she was being so carefree with her money, usually preferring to save every penny she made, but knew that it was probably a distraction from her father. People grieved in different ways, after all.

"Okay, guys; just stay right here," Sakura whispered to them, putting her bag down on a bench. "I'll be back quickly, okay?" she smiled, walking over to the phone booth and placing in her call card before dialling the number.

"Oh? Two little Jokers so absent minded about their eggs," a familiar man's voice was heard by the Charas. Before they could think about moving, tape was secured on their eggs, trapping them inside.

"Hey! Wait!" Sakura called, having seen Nikaidou place her eggs in his briefcase and walk off.

"Not this time, kid," Nikaidou smirked. She chased him for a while, but he had gotten in his car and driven away. Panicking, Sakura did the first thing that came to her mind.

"I can't believe this..." she muttered, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before letting her voice ring loudly, "Ikuto!"

"You called?" a deep voice from behind her made her jump before she turned around, seeing Ikuto standing right behind her. A smile lit her face, knowing that he always seemed to be close by, before she once again became serious.

"My eggs," she began. "They're –"

"I saw what happened," Ikuto interrupted. "Yoru is tracking Nikaidou now, I think; he said something about Amu's eggs being stolen as well. I was just on my way to find them."

"So you'll help me?" she asked hopefully, clasping her hands in front of her, her eyes shining. Smirking, Ikuto took her hand and the two of them ran to where he knew Yoru would be.

The two of them ran through a street, coming to a tall, chain-link fence. Ikuto began to climb it and, learning from his example, Sakura was quick to follow behind him. After making quick work of the fence, the couple ran through another street, jumping over a bush and spinning between trees. Ikuto smirked at how she was copying him, but said nothing. They continued, sliding through a thin alley. Ikuto took her hand when Sakura paused, tugging her through the tight fitting space between the two buildings.

"This way," Ikuto said, pulling her to the right when they heard what they had been looking for.

"Alley cats are all about shortcuts, shortcuts – nya!" Yoru's voice rang out from in front of them. Sakura glanced up at Ikuto and held back a grin.

"Don't I know it," she muttered.

"Watch it," Ikuto warned, stepping towards the very tall wall they were going to climb. Amu, who had already begun climbing, suddenly slipped and Ikuto leapt forwards, catching her and placing her back down on the wall, "Be more careful."

"I-Ikuto," Amu stuttered as Ikuto turned around, taking Sakura's hand and pulling her up onto the wall, "Haruno?"

"Yes, it's me," Sakura sighed. "I'm here with Ikuto for the same reason you're here with Yoru."

"Nikaidou took your eggs, too?" Amu asked sadly as Sakura nodded. "So, how're we supposed to get over that wall if neither of us can even Chara-Change?"

"You'd be surprised," Ikuto cut in. "Sakura's perfect alley cat material, from what I've seen."

"Oh, shut up!" scoffed Sakura. Ikuto smirked and turned towards Yoru, who grinned sheepishly.

"Ore no Kokoro: Unlock," he muttered as his Chara moved into his Egg, transforming with Yoru into Black Lynx. A sudden surge of curiosity struck Sakura and she wondered what it would be like to transform with Yoru, but she shook it off when she felt Ikuto's un-clawed hand taking her elbow.

"What is it?" Sakura asked. He sighed heavily and looked at the wall.

"I suppose I'm going to have to carry both of you," he realised, using both arms to hold the girls to his sides. Both of them blushed slightly, though Amu's blush was more obvious, and Ikuto held them tightly as he jumped the wall, making such a difficult task look easy with his cat-like abilities.

As they jumped from building to building, Ikuto reminded Amu to give Yoru his catnip at some point, to which she replied 'whatever', testily. Sakura was enjoying the feel of the wind on her face, not minding too much anymore that she had to clutch onto Ikuto's shirt to stop from falling. Amu, in contrast, was trying to hold on as little as possible, and kept slipping.

"Hey," Ikuto called to them. Both girls looked up at him and he looked down at Amu, an amused look on his face, "You're a lot heavier than I thought."

"I'm so going to beat you to a pulp when this is over," Amu growled, clenching her fist.

"On the other hand..." he muttered. "Sakura's lighter than I imagined, but I guess I already knew that."

"You did?" Amu asked, looking towards Sakura, who wasn't paying attention to them at all.

"If my counting is right, I've caught or carried her around...five or six times," he told her, glancing at the small girl. He shook his head at her lack of attention and turned back to the buildings, focusing on getting them to Nikaidou.

"Seriously?" jeered Amu, "And she hasn't killed you yet?" she asked, snarling a little while Ikuto chuckled.

"I think she has a crush on me or something," he mused, flinching when a pinkette pinched his side, and it wasn't Amu. "What was that for?"

"I can still hear you."

{-}

"Can you get out, Mari?" asked Katsumi, tears gathering in her eyes. Mari sighed and grunted, folding her arms.

"No, it's useless," she gave in.

"Is that Katsumi and Mari?" they heard a familiar voice call. "Then, is Setsuko there, too?"

"Ran, Miki, Suu?" Setsuko gasped. "Are you three being held captive by Nikaidou as well?"

"Yeah," Ran sniffed. "But I'm sure Amu-chan will be here to save us; Saku-chan, too, if you guys are here."

{-}

"Hey, Ikuto!" called Yoru from inside the boy. "We've found him – nya!"

"Really?" asked Amu in joy. Sakura looked up at the teen as he took directions from his Chara – she smiled at how serious he looked, really trying to help the two of them find their Charas, even though they were supposedly his enemies.

They touched down under a traffic bridge, Nikaidou in front of them with his briefcase, holding the six eggs. Amu called out to him, causing the older man to stop, but Sakura had to wonder what she thought she could do. With no Chara eggs, the only one who could make a difference was Ikuto, and he had already done so much.

"Well, well," he mused in a deeper voice than they were used to, "If it isn't Hinamori-san and Haruno-san."

"Nikaidou!" growled Amu again.

"You should address your teacher properly, Himamori-san," Nikaidou mocked, an evil grin sat perfectly on his face. Sakura's eyes narrowed on the briefcase and, not wasting any more time, she ran forwards, kicking it out of his hand. Her plan backfired when he caught the case in his other hand, gasping her ankle in the hand she had kicked.

"Haruno!" called Amu out in worry.

"Tut, tut, Haruno-san," Nikaidou scolded, his voice amused. "You should have the proper respect for your teacher, you know. I could have you expelled for this."

"Shut up!" Sakura hissed, kicking at his wrist with her other foot. Nikaidou, in a show of strength she didn't know he had, lifted her off of the ground and threw her away from him.

"Sakura!" yelled Ikuto, a slight hint of worry in his voice, as he ran forwards and caught her before she could hit the ground. "Are you okay?"

"No; he still has my Charas," Sakura told him obviously, scowling at Nikaidou as he grinned at his accomplishment. Ikuto looked at her in awe, amazed that she cared so much more about her Charas than her own safety.

"Have you been eating, Haruno-san?" he asked, faking concern. "You're awfully small and light."

"You wouldn't be the first person to tell me that," Sakura informed him, her eyes flicking towards Ikuto. He looked slightly surprised – he had thought that she wasn't listening – before he focused his attention back on the matter at hand.

"What're you trying to do?" Ikuto asked after Amu had yelled at Nikaidou about how he underestimated the power of and need for a child Heart's Egg. Three X-Eggs where hovering around Nikaidou's hand as he grinned.

"Did the higher-ups order you to tail me to find that out, Easter's Puppet?" he asked the transformed teen. Ikuto froze at the title and Sakura glanced up at him, her beliefs that he was a part of Easter confirmed. Nikaidou ordered the eggs to attack them and Ikuto leapt in front of the girls, defending them without destroying the eggs. A smoke bomb went off and Nikaidou disappeared.

"Bye, bye!" he bid as the calls of their Shugo Charas were heard over the sounds of the X-Eggs beating against Ikuto's claws. Amu tried to rush at him, but Ikuto held her back. Seeing her chance, Sakura ran forwards, dodging the X-Eggs, and held tightly to Nikaidou's arm.

"Give them back!" Sakura yelled.

"Haruno!" shrieked Amu.

"Sakura!" shouted Ikuto, his voice sounding desperate as he tried to get closer to pull her back, but the eggs pushed him back.

"Not letting go?" he hummed, amused, "Well, then, I suppose I'll just have to take you with me," Nikaidou mused, picking Sakura up under his arm and carrying her away, kicking and yelled.

Ikuto's eyes widened and he yelled, "Sakura!" but his cry went unheard by the smaller pinkette.


	16. Kidnapped, NYA!

Chapter Sixteen

Yoru, after ending the transformation with Ikuto, was ordered to do what Ikuto couldn't: 'Follow Nikaidou and keep an eye on Sakura'. The six eggs were still taped shut and trapped in a bird's cage, suspended above the ground. Beneath that, a sleeping Sakura was tied up. Yoru knew that, if Ikuto saw this, he would be enraged. It was obvious that the teenager had more than a soft spot for the tiny girl.

"Hey, time to wake up," Nikaidou sighed, waving a pot of freshly cooked instant ramen in front of her face. She flinched and opened her eyes groggily, moving to rub her aching neck but realising that she had her hands tied behind her back.

"This is so wrong in so many ways," Sakura stated with a sweat-drop as she looked up at her previous teacher. He scowled slightly and gestured for her to take the ramen, but she just looked at him like he was completely stupid. "You know I'm still tied up, right?"

"I can't untie you," he reminded her. Sakura rolled her eyes and shrugged, looking away from the food.

"That's okay. I don't eat instant food, anyway," she informed him, mostly truthfully. While she consumed it on occasion, the girl tried to avoid any instant food at all, preferring to cook something healthy.

"You're an eleven-year-old kid, living alone, and you don't eat instant food?" he asked, obviously not believing her.

"Not if I can help it," Sakura smiled innocently.

"Huh," he mused, shaking his head.

"If you can untie me, lend me Setsuko and Suu, I can prepare a really nice, really healthy meal for you," she hinted. Nikaidou rolled his eyes this time, but untied her nonetheless. He didn't give her any Charas, nor show her where the kitchen was. All the man did was place the steaming pot of noodles in her hands with a pair of chopsticks and sit at his computer.

"I'm not an idiot, Haruno-san," he assured her, typing another formula into his database before checking his work and testing it on a mini-model.

"Fine, fine," she sighed. "So...what do you want to talk about?" she asked with a grin, poking the chopsticks into the ramen.

"Shush. I'm busy," he scolded, focusing on the program. Sakura watched with interest as she quietly slurped the unhealthy food, it being the first thing she had eaten since lunch the previous day, and that was only ice cream – chocolate, of course.

"What're you working on?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"What do you think?" he muttered, obviously thinking that she, a young child, would have no clue. Sakura scowled and though for a moment.

"It looks like some sort of machine that'll extract the energy from all of the eggs you put in it, forming them all into one extremely powerful egg," Sakura told him mockingly, not noticing his eyes widen.

"H-How..." he murmured. "How did you –?"

"That's like making a second Embryo, right?" she interrupted, the sudden realisation causing her to step back. "Is that why you needed mine and Hinamori's Shugo eggs? Because of the power you could put into them?"

"I will never know how a child of your age could jump to such amazing conclusions based on so little," he stated, looking up from his computer.

"So, you have six Shugo Eggs and more than fifty X-Eggs..."

"No wonder the boss has been keener on getting you to join Easter since meeting you," Nikaidou sighed, rubbing his head.

"You'll overload their eggs!" Sakura yelled, looking between the six eggs and her ex-teacher. "The kind of power you'd get from all those X-Eggs would be too much to put into the Shugo Eggs. You can't do this!"

"I think I can," he smirked. "If it doesn't work this time, there are plenty of other eggs out there."

"Soon enough, you'll get fired and then what?" Sakura scowled.

"I won't get fired. This idea is pure gold, and it will work eventually," Nikaidou told her. "You, however, are not exactly a typical, dumb kid, Haruno-san."

"That's a compliment?" she raised her brow. He smirked.

"You'd do well in Easter."

"Now I _know_ that it's not a compliment."

"Ikuto-kun would be there," he taunted. At this, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring the fact that he was still her kidnapper.

"Do _not_ think, for even one moment, that you know what Ikuto is to me, or what I am to him," Sakura warned, turning around and sitting back in the place she had been tied, still eating her noodles as his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered. Sakura paid attention to his call, but didn't get much from the one-sided conversation. "They've done a number of things using the black cat," he said, presumable to her, once he'd hung up. "But, soon enough, not even the director will be able to complain."

"What're you talking about?" Sakura asked, setting her food down, "The black cat? That's Ikuto, isn't it?" she accused.

"So you care after all?" he hummed. Sakura frowned.

"Of course I do," she whispered, but Nikaidou did nothing except smirk as he stood up and picked up his briefcase, gathering the Chara Eggs into it. "Where are you taking them?"

"It's no longer your concern," Nikaidou shrugged. "Just sit tight. I'll be back in a while," he patted her head as he left, making sure to turn off his computer and lock the door, as well as all of the windows. Sakura growled.

"Hey, Saku – nya!" greeted a certain cat-Chara loudly.

"Yoru?" whispered the girl. Sakura's eyes widened when he floated down towards her. She grinned without meaning to and grabbed him "You have no idea how glad I am to see you! Is Ikuto nearby?"

"No, I came alone – nya!" Yoru told her. "Ikuto asked me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you were okay."

"He...He did?" she asked in amazement – to her, it really didn't seem like something Ikuto would have done.

"Yep; and I'll bet he'll be dying to know that you care – nya!" he laughed hysterically as Sakura glared, her cheeks red.

"If you tell him, you'll be nothing more than dog-food," Sakura threatened, but Yoru didn't take her seriously. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Sure can – nya!" Yoru nodded and flew up to the air vent, gesturing to it with his claw.

"Yoru..." Sakura sighed, looking away.

"Let's go – nya!" he cheered, pulling off the lid of the vent and floating inside happily. When he noticed no one was following him, he flew back and looked at her sad expression. "What is it – nya?"

"I can't fit in there," Sakura sighed, dropping to the floor. "It's too small for a human to crawl through, no matter how short or tiny I am," she added, recalling all the things people said about her that, sometimes, made her feel as small as a Chara. Suddenly, she clutched her chest, curling up and whimpering in pain.

"Ah! Saku – nya! What's wrong – nya?" Yoru asked quickly, floating to her. He saw her wide eyes, dilated with fear, and gasped.

"I can feel it," she muttered.

"F...Feel what?" he asked quietly, perching on her knees.

"I can feel their fear. Katsumi...Setsuko...Mari..." her eyes were filled with pain, but there were no tears. "I have to help them."

"S-Saku – nya," Yoru called to her. She stood up, her eyes blank, and her face became determined.

"Yoru...I need you to stay a little longer," she told him. "I have a plan, but I need some time to think it through. Also, it's useless to try if there's no one here but us."

"What is it?" Yoru asked, but Sakura just smirked at him.

"Come here; I'll tell you."

{-}

"Che," Nikaidou scoffed as he walked in, placing only Suu's egg into the bird cage. Sakura looked up in surprise, suddenly worried about the other five. Even if Suu was still captured, at least she knew where she was.

"Where are they, Nikaidou?" Sakura demanded. "Where are Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari – or Ran and Miki?"

"No need to worry," he said scornfully.

"What did you do to them?" she asked, coming to the wrong conclusion. Her ex-sensei rolled his eyes and threw down his briefcase.

"You'll be happy to know that your _friends_ have them," he growled, clenching his fists. "Hinamori-san has two of her eggs back and the Jack's Chair is looked after your three. So, all I have left is this one," he added, glaring at Sakura as if it were her fault.

"So what?" scowled Sakura, "You're going to put all of that energy into Suu's egg?"

"That, child, is _exactly_ what I am going to do," he stated, looking haughtily at her, down his nose.

"You can't do that!"

"I think I can!"

"Please, let me out – desu," Suu pleaded, tears in her voice. Sakura got up and slowly took a step towards the cage. When Nikaidou said nothing, the girl ran towards the only remaining egg and took off the tape. Instantly, Suu came out of her egg.

"Are you okay?" Sakura whispered to her. Suu nodded, hiccupping slightly; Sakura was going to take her out of the cage, but Nikaidou grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, closing the cage.

"She stays inside the cage," he said firmly, throwing Sakura to the ground on the other side of the room. Scowling stubbornly at him, Sakura ignored them as Nikaidou continued with his typing and computing.

"Where did he go?" Sakura whispered to herself, looking around the small room for any signs of a Cat-Chara. She looked over towards Suu again, who was no longer crying or even looking remotely scared. She curled up and pulled her knees to her chest, sighing. Nikaidou looked down at her and also sighed.

"Do you want something to eat?" he suggested. Sakura shook her head, "How about something to read?"

"Are you a kidnapper or a babysitter?" Sakura scoffed.

"You'd better watch your tongue, or I'll become a prison warden," he warned, getting up and dropping a book in her lap. Sakura looked down.

"_The Art of Robot Building_," she read, opening the book and scanning the first few pages. "You build robots?"

"I used to," he said curtly, not offering up any more information.

"Is that how you learnt to build that thing over there?" she muttered, gesturing to the machine that held the X-Eggs.

"Yes," he said, not looking away from his work.

"You're wasting your time," Sakura told him, putting the book down gently. Even if he _did_ kidnap her, Sakura was raised to have respect for other people's belongings.

"And why is that?" he asked angrily, humouring her. Sakura clenched her fists at her sides and glared at him.

"You're going to destroy thousands of dreams, thousands of eggs, just to build a second Embryo!" she began. "The best outcome is that the second Embryo will _never_ work and you'll get _fired _before you can try again!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" he growled.

"I know that you're going to be jobless by the end of the week," Sakura finalised, crossing her arms. This seemed to grate on Nikaidou's last nerve and he walked over to her, hauling her up by her elbow and dragging her towards the door. "Hey, wait! What're you doing?"

"You want me to act more like a kidnapper; fine," he grinned, pulling her down the stairs and ignoring Suu's pleas for him to leave her alone. When they had travelled to the bottom of the house, he took her further still – into the basement.

"No! Don't put me down there!" yelled Sakura, trying desperately to get away from the one thing she had dreaded all of her life. Nikaidou paid her no heed and pulled her down the stairs, throwing her to the floor before stepping back up towards his workroom, closing and locking the basement door.

"Maybe you'll think about showing a little _more gratitude_ and a little _less attitude_," he hummed before he left her all alone.

Sakura pushed herself into a corner, placing her hands over her ears and closing her eyes tightly. The plan didn't matter. It would be useless as long as she was trapped – all alone. She pulled her knees up to her chest, closing her eyes and imagining that there were other people with her. People that were laughing at something stupid and ignoring her, but it didn't matter – they were still there.

She was not in that secluded cottage all alone while her father travelled through Denmark.

She was not by herself in that little hut as her father explored as much of Africa as he could.

She was not being threaten with being sent to boarding school by the woman her father had brought back with him for a week while her father had left the woman and her in a small apartment to stay at a 'haunted hotel'.

She would never again be waiting, all alone – as child, with no one to fall back on – for her father to come home.

No; she was sitting in her apartment, laughing with Katsumi and Mari about something Setsuko had said. She was waiting with Amu, Kukai, Tadase and Nadeshiko for Yaya to arrive, late, to one of their meetings. She was sitting in her apartment, sharing day-old lasagne with Ikuto while he commented on how boring it was to watch daytime TV and complained about high school homework, even though he never actually _did_ any of it.

She was safe.

"Sakura – nya!" rung Yoru's voice through her thoughts and she opened her eyes, seeing his worried face very close to her own. Instantly, knowing that she was no longer alone, Sakura relaxed.

"Y-Yoru..." she whispered, reaching out and holding him to her. "Thank goodness."

"Sakura...Are you alright – nya?" Yoru asked quietly, seeing her fearful face. He had become worried when she didn't respond the first two times he had called out to her and, no matter how mature she acted, this event forced him to realise that she really was just a kid. It made him wonder if Ikuto realised this, too.

"I...I'm okay. However, I think we need to go through with that plan for me to get out of here," she smiled. Yoru nodded and focused on all the strength he had.

"Chara-Change!" he called, but no cat ears appeared on Sakura head. Sighing, the two of them dropped to the ground. "It didn't work – nya!"

"I know," Sakura frowned. "It should have. Maybe you can only Chara-Change with your own Shugo Chara..."

"Most likely – nya," Yoru nodded as if he were an expert.

"I wish it was just as simple as it was with the girls," Sakura muttered.

"What? You mean like when I'm with Ikuto – nya?" Yoru commented as the girl nodded slightly.

"Yeah, then, all I'd have to say is 'Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock'!" she said, moving her hands towards her chest and twisting them as she usually would with the girls. Suddenly, she and Yoru were being lifted by dark blue winds. Yoru returned to his egg and sunk into Sakura's chest, both shocked.

Sakura turned as if she was dancing and a silver tail appeared from her lower back, swishing from left to right and, as she lowered her head, cat ears of the same colour appeared on her head. Her tail moved over her lower self and blue, leather mini-shorts appeared, followed by a studded black belt. Her torso was covered with dark purple sparkles and she shook like a cat, shaking off the sparkles and leaving behind a blue leather tank top that stopped just above her stomach.

Blue and silver leather boot appeared on her feet, lacing themselves up with black lace, and stopped just under her knees, but the sparkles continued to climb, leaving dark blue fishnets in their place on her legs – between her shorts and boots – as well as her stomach. On her arms appeared blue leather gloves with holes at her wrists that pointed on the back of her hand instead of forming a hand-shaped glove. Joining her gloves to the sleeves of her shirt were more blue fishnets.

Six chains appeared on her belt, a sharp kunai hanging from each of them as her hair pulled itself up into a ponytail with dark blue ribbon, falling messily down her back as some shorter strands fell around her face and newly formed kitty-ears. Her tail flicked and a large blue bow appeared near the end with a bell on it. She smirked, blue lipstick covering her lips, standing with her hip out and her arms above her head.

"Chara-Nari: Lonely Lynx – nya!" she and Yoru called at the same time. Sakura blinked and grinned, fangs showing in her mouth.

"I only wanted a Chara-Change, but this works too – nya," she stated happily, rubbing her soft fur of her tail. Yoru, inside her, was laughing his head off.

"Just wait until Ikuto gets a load of this – nya!" he said between his laughter.

"Hmm...That would be interesting – nya," she muttered, covering her mouth a second after. "W-Why am I talking like that – nya?"

"You're talking like me – nya!" Yoru howled, now finding the situation even funnier. Sakura's shock became a smirk as she ran to the door of the basement, easily kicking it open. When she made it into the foyer, she saw Amulet Spade surrounded by little robots, which all had dark energy surrounding them.

"Geez, how many are there?" Amu complained. Grinning again, Sakura unclipped a kunai from her belt and leapt forwards, keeping close to the ground as she slashed through some of them, making her way to Amu, "Ikuto!"

"Buzz!" sounded Sakura, crossing her arms in an 'X'. "Ikuto is currently unavailable at the moment. Please leave a message after the 'nya' – nya!"

"H-Haruno – but, how...?" she gasped. Sakura unclipped another kunai, holding it in her other hand, as she turned back to the robots, the bell on her tail ringing as it swished from side to side.

"Short version: I did a Chara-Nari with Yoru – nya," she smiled, her ears flicking.

"B-But how –?" she stuttered.

"I don't know how it happened, so don't even bother asking – nya," she stated as the two of them prepared for a robot attack.

"Above you!" yelled Miki and Yoru at the same time. Sakura and Amu looked up, seeing a robot jumping towards them, but it was knocked aside by a football. A quick look in the direction the ball came from revealed the other four Guardians, all smiling and ready to help.

"I can't say I appreciate you sneaking off, Hinamori," Kukai began, his eyes turning to Sakura and his stance softened, "but, I guess, you did it for the right reasons."

"Umm, Saku-chi, why're you dressed like that?" asked Yaya, tilting her head.

"She's Lonely Lynx, dummy – nya!" Yoru stated from inside her. Everyone, not including Amu, Miki, Ran and Sakura herself, gasped.

"Correct – nya!" Sakura laughed, feeling a lot more open and free – like a stray cat.

"How is that even possible?" questioned Nadeshiko, turning to Temari, who only shrugged.

"Look, that's not important," Kukai sighed, kicking his football in the air and catching it in his hands.

"How did you find me here?" Amu questioned, looking confused. Nadeshiko stepped forwards to supply the answer.

"That's easy," she smiled. "A certain black cat that was missing his Shugo Chara turned up and directed us."

"...Ikuto..." Sakura whispered, a small smile forming on her lips, "– nya."

"I can see your every thought – nya!" Yoru laughed madly. "Wait until I tell Ikuto!"

"If you do that, I'll turn you into dog food – nya," Sakura growled.

"You used that threat already – nya!"

"Shut up – nya," she pouted.

"As much fun as it is to hear you two 'nya'-ing at each other..." Amu trailed off, gesturing to all the robots.

"You two go and find Suu. We'll take care of the robot army," Kukai stated, disrupting her conversation with the Chara she'd transformed with.

"Are you sure?" Amu asked.

"Positive," Tadase smiled. Amu turned to make her way past the robots on the stairs, but Sakura just walked towards Kukai.

"Are they alright – nya?" she asked hopefully, "Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari? Are they okay – nya?"

"Yeah," Kukai said with a gentle smile. "They're fine," he placed a hand on Sakura head and rubbed her hair before turning her around, pushing her softly towards Amu. "Leave a Joker's job to the twins, and the rest to us, okay?"

"Right!" said Amu and Sakura in union. Everyone Chara-Changed with their Shugos, Tadase gaining his sceptre and crown, Nadeshiko gaining her Naginata and scary face, Yaya gaining her giant rattle and bib, and Kukai getting his skateboard and a star. They cleared a path for the two of them, Sakura helping out with her kunai – and wanting an excuse to use her cat-abilities as much as possible.

"Okay, you two! Go!" allowed Kukai. Amu and Sakura nodded towards him and ran up the stairs. They ran up and Amu took a wrong turn but Sakura, knowing the way, took her hand and dragged her to the right room. They burst in, startling Nikaidou.

"Wait!" Amu called, seeing Suu's egg in a strange machine.

"Hello, Himamori-san," he greeted calmly, mispronouncing her name on purpose, just like he used to. "I see you got out of the basement after all, Haruno-san; another black cat on the prowl?"

"Just a stand-in, I'm afraid – nya," Sakura sneered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You're both just in time to witness history," he said proudly. "A new Embryo is about to be born...from your egg, Himamori-san."

"Amu-chan!" wailed Suu from her egg. Amu's attention focused on the egg and she moved to save Suu, but Nikaidou sent streams of dark energy to stop her.

"Sorry, but could you stand further back as you observe?" he asked mockingly, three X-Eggs hovering about his outstretched hand. Amu and Sakura were sent reeling backwards. Miki switched out with Ran, Amu becoming Amulet Heart instead.

"Heart Rod!" called Amu, summoning her rod. Sakura picked up two kunai and smiled, knowing her own plan if Amu's didn't work. "Spiral Heart!" she yelled, throwing the rod towards Nikaidou. He stepped aside, smirking as the rod smashed through the window.

"Looks like you missed," he sighed, "again."

"Check again," Amu grinned. The rod came back and before Nikaidou could grab it, Sakura had pinned his arm to the wall with her kunai. The rod smashed his machine, setting Suu free. "Suu!" called Amu.

"Amu-chan!" cried Suu, hugging Amu's cheek tightly. "I was so scared!"

"The X-Egg energy is leaking out!" Nikaidou gasped, ripping his sleeve off of the wall, the kunai disappearing and reappearing on Sakura's belt.

"Cool – nya," she said, looking down.

"Hmm...It doesn't work like this for Ikuto – nya," Yoru muttered. Sakura then looked back up, seeing the dark fog-like mist leaking from the machine, towards the boxes of dusty robots. Their eyes became purple as they floated up, forming into a large mass. It flashed and the robots were joined together into a living form.

"A huge robot?" asked Amu, stating the obvious, as Nikaidou's eyes widened at the sight. "C-Clumping together won't scare me," she added, even though she sounded very scared. "I'll take you all out at the same time!"

"Yeah, that's likely – nya," Sakura rolled her eyes, holding three kunai in each hand, between her fingers.

"You can't destroy it, Amu-chan!" Suu said suddenly, floating in front of them with her arms out. "Let me handle this; Chara-Nari, please!"

"Okay," Amu smiled. Ran and Suu switched as Amu became Amulet Clover and leapt away from a slash the robot gave. Sakura dodged to the side, her eyes narrowing – she knew what Amu was going to do. A douse of 'Remake Honey' later, and the X-Eggs were healed and the robot was dismantled into many small robots, as it was before.

"When you need to fix something, leave it to Suu," Suu smiled as Amu went back to normal.

"Eh? My egg!" said Nikaidou in awe, his egg appearing before him. The girls turned and saw his egg and, as Amu spoke to Nikaidou, Sakura just smiled slightly. "I thought I'd lost it," he admitted as the egg hatched, a mini-inventor appearing.

"We meet at last!" it grinned.

"Are you my Shugo Chara?" Nikaidou asked. The Chara nodded happily as he replied.

"Uh-huh," he nodded. "But I have to go now. See you again. Bye-Bye" he bid, his egg closing around him again. The egg disappeared before Nikaidou could reach out and grab him.

"I knew it. It's futile. I've chosen a different path. I can never go back; a broken egg can never be repaired," he stated, depressed. Amu was about to say something, but Suu stepped forwards first. She spent a short while giving him a pep-talk and Nikaidou said how he was a loser now, before the Guardians ran into the room.

"Are you okay?" Tadase asked Amu. Sakura shook her head and was about to leave when someone held her shoulder.

"Kukai – nya?" recognised Sakura, turning. He smiled a little.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly while Sakura turned a little red. She turned back to normal as Yoru flew out, pulling a disgusted face.

"Eww!" he cringed in an exaggerated way, "If you guys are gonna flirt, do it away from me – nya!" warned Yoru, sticking his tongue out as the two blushed at the implication.

"We were not flirting!" Sakura denied, scowling at Yoru. "Hey! I'm not talking like you anymore! I guess it must just be when we Chara-Nari..."

"Whatever – nya!" shrugged Yoru, "I have to get back to Ikuto now – nya," he sniggered, floating out of the window.

So, Easter fired Nikaidou and everyone lived happily ever after.

...

Yeah, right.


	17. Sketchy

Chapter Seventeen

"Okay, everyone; listen up!" a teacher called to the entirety of the Fifth Grade, all of whom were gathered outside. "Today, the Fifth Grad Star and Moon classes will have a sketching contest. Use this opportunity to take a fresh look at the familiar school. You may make many new discoveries."

Sakura yawned widely and stretched her arms above her head. Everyone was getting very excited about this except her. She knew that the 'contest' wasn't really a contest at all and thought that spending an entire school day drawing was a waste of time – time that she was paying for. Looking at the sky, the girl began to worry about money.

"Saku-chan, we can go now," Katsumi said to get her attention. Sakura sighed and stood up, smiling a little at her Charas.

"The theme is _'Your favourite place in the school'_, Saku-chan," Setsuko informed her graciously. Sakura nodded.

"Thanks," she said, picking up her sketch pad and walking towards the first place she could think of – the place she spent most of her time.

"The classroom?" asked Mari, shaking her head. "This isn't right. You try to avoid here as much as possible."

"You're right," Sakura shrugged. "Onto the next place, I guess."

"Why did you think of the classroom first, anyway?" Katsumi asked, tilting her head as Sakura usually did. The pinkette thought for a moment before she smiled, closing her eyes.

"I suppose it's because...this is where I met my first real friend since I moved here," admitted the pinkette, "Hatoba Yuki-san."

"Ah! I remember her!" Mari grinned.

}-{

"_H-Hi," the girl greeted nervously, wringing her hands together and shaking like a leaf in front of the scariest student in their school._

"_Hello. Can I help you?" Haruno 'Saku' asked smoothly, causing Yuki to both blush and gulp._

"_I was wondering...well..." her stuttering was beginning to annoy the Haruno child and 'he' made this know by turning away. "I-I'm going to America soon and I don't know any English," she explained, catching the 'boy's' attention once more. "C-Could you...umm...t-teach me?"_

"_...What's your address?" he asked after a moment of considering the request in his mind._

"_O-Oh," Yuki jumped and wrote it down on the paper he was offering. After a moment of scribbling down where she lived, the girl handed it back._

"_I'll be over later tonight," The boy said, reading over the information. "Do you know any basic phrases?" he asked while Yuki shook her head. He sighed heavily. "Alright, we'll start with greetings and common questions and answers tonight and then we'll work from there."_

"_O-Okay!" nodded Yuki before turning to her friends. 'Saku' just shook his head._

}-{

"It's a shame she left to go to America," Katsumi muttered, pouting. "You're first female friend and she didn't even know that you're a girl. She left after revealing the crush she had on the 'male' you."

"Indeed," Setsuko giggled. "Although unfortunate, the turn of events was rather amusing."

"I'll say!" Mari cackled.

"So, where shall we go to now, Saku-chan?" enquired Setsuko, adjusting her headpiece. Sakura hummed for a moment before shrugging and heading off in another direction.

"The record room?" grinned Katsumi. "That's where we sneaked all of that information on the Guardians!"

"But...that's not really a place that's special to you or anything," Mari laughed nervously as Sakura paused.

"Oh...right."

{-}

"Wah!" laughed Katsumi. "This is _my_ favourite place," she giggled, smelling a flower. Sakura looked around the school gardens and sighed. It defiantly wasn't her favourite place, and it was _very_ crowded.

"Haruno!" she heard someone call from behind her. Turning, Sakura spotted Amu and waved her over. "Have you drawn anything yet?"

"No, I haven't," Sakura shrugged. "It doesn't matter, though. If it gets too late, I'll just settle down and draw anything."

"I suppose," Amu nodded, "The garden?"

"I was just leaving."

{-}

Yawning again, Sakura walked up the halls for what felt like the seventh time, her Charas following loyally behind her. She looked out of the window and caught sight of the building tower where she had first met Ikuto – the first day of the rest of her life, as it were. Glancing over at Katsumi, who was in a deep conversation with Setsuko about how the Lolita-Chara should wear darker blues, Sakura smiled.

}-{

"_I'm Katsumi. Your Shugo Chara," she winked, twirling around. "I'm who you want to be!" she giggled, flicking her hair back again._

"_Who I want to be?" snorted the pinkette, "You're kidding, right?" she asked in disbelief, crossing her arms and turning away._

"_O-Oi; if you don't acknowledge my existence, I'll disappear!" Katsumi stated in a 'cute' voice, pouting slightly._

"_I acknowledge your existence; I merely do not want you around me," Sakura informed her in a toneless voice – Katsumi sweat-dropped._

"_I knew you'd say that."_

}-{

_The Chara and the girl called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose, "Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!"_

}-{

An image of Ikuto flashed across her mind and she blinked, looking away from her Charas with a frown. She didn't really know what to think of the boy any more. Before, it was obvious – she disliked him due to his disregard of anyone but himself. However, as of late, he had become more of a friend to her, and he was in her thoughts more often than she would like to admit.

}-{

"_So, there really is a Chara-Bearer here? But which one of you is it?" he asked himself, looked between the girl and the 'boy'. He saw a pink Chara floating by the girl and smirked. "The girl, huh?" he said, stepping towards the two of them._

"_Another weirdo?" asked Amu to herself, not noticing Sakura's slight smirk of amusement. "And this one has cat ears?"_

"_Apparently," Sakura sighed, trying to calm herself. Amu seemed like she needed more help at the moment, so Sakura placed her own shaking form between the Hinamori girl and the cat-eared 'weirdo'. He came closer until he was standing right in front of Sakura and he grinned slightly._

"_Oh? Protecting the girl? Strange, considering she's actually taller than you anyway, little boy," he said with a laugh under his words. Sakura scowled at him as he sniffed the air above her. "So you have eggs too, huh? And there's even more with the girl, as well; my lucky day."_

}-{

Shaking her head, Sakura looked back towards Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, just as they were all finishing their talk about where their favourite place in the school was. Mari's was the sports field, Setsuko's was the classrooms and Katsumi's was the Royal Garden, where they socialised with all the other Charas most of the time.

"Come on, you guys," Sakura sighed. "Let's see if there's anywhere else I can draw."

{-}

"Look, Saku-chan! It's Kukai and Daichi!" giggled Katsumi as they walked past a Sixth Grade classroom, where the doors were open. Sakura peaked in and, before she could stop them, her Charas had flown towards the Jack's Chair.

"No," Sakura whispered as they approached him and Daichi, chatting happily and pointing her out. Kukai looked back in her direction and Sakura offered him a small wave, to which he replied with a grin. Her Charas came back and she frowned.

"What?" Mari asked.

"No more wandering off," Sakura scolded, "Especially if it's to distract someone who's in class."

"Sorry," they all said in union.

{-}

"You'll draw this?" asked Setsuko, floating around the empty classroom as Sakura sat in her usual seat, looking around.

"I guess it could work. Didn't we come in here before?" Mari frowned.

"Yeah, we did!" Katsumi agree.

"I thought I'd come back and see if I felt like drawing it," Sakura shrugged, looking at the door.

}-{

_The classroom door opened and Nadeshiko walked into the room, heading towards Hinamori Amu's desk._

"_I guess only one of us can be accepted at a time," Sakura shrugged, even though she wished she would be accepted as well. After passing an envelope and a message along to Amu, the graceful girl walked to Sakura's desk, holding another envelope._

"_The Guardians would also like to invite you for a tea party after school, Haruno-kun. So please come to the Royal Garden. We'll be waiting for you," she smiled as she left the room through the same door she came in. Sakura looked down at the envelope and tutted, placing it in her bag with no intent to actually attend._

}-{

"Well, nothing interesting in here," Sakura sighed. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

"Okay!"

{-}

"Here?" Mari grinned happily, floating up as high as she could before falling back and landing on the grass. Sakura had brought them outside to the sports field.

"I don't know," she muttered. "Just another bad idea, I guess." With a sigh, Sakura took them away from it, spotting the area she met Setsuko nearby.

}-{

"_I am Setsuko, you're second Shugo Chara. It is a pleasure to meet you, Haruno Saku-chan," she greeted._

}-{

_She and Setsuko called out at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy, "Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!"_

}-{

With a smile, Sakura continued her journey back inside the school

{-}

"No!" Mari yelled, crossing her arms. "This will _not_ do. We never spend any time in here, so this _can't_ be your favourite place, Saku-chan."

"I never said it was," Sakura smiled, looking around the Home Economics room with a slight smile.

}-{

"_I can't believe it!" a gruff voice yelled as the green egg floated into the air above Sakura. She looked at her egg in shock as it cracked in two and the halves disappeared. "My owner is some frilly little girl? I wanted someone tough!"_

"_Frilly? I know you didn't call me frilly!" Sakura scoffed, crossing her arms._

"_I'm Mari, your third Chara. I'm here because someone wants to get over her usual pacifist-nature and use the martial arts training she received," Mari announced. "Are you really expecting me to believe a girl who bakes could have gotten a Chara like me?"_

"_Well, you'd better believe it, because here you are!" Sakura said with a glare, which Mari mirrored. After a moment of glaring at each other, Mari grinned and stuck up her thumb._

"_Approved!" she announced as Sakura got a better look at her_.

}-{

"_Chara Nari: Lonely Fighter!" she and Mari called at the same time, punching to her left, kicking to her right and then finally falling to the ground with her tongue stuck out._

}-{

"Can we go now? Please?" Mari all but begged. Sakura rolled her eyes, but gave in and the four of them left the room.

{-}

"This is a little too familiar," Sakura winced, seeing the hall all set out for an assembly. Sure, she was on the stage rather than in the seats now, but it just reminded her of how she became a Guardian in the first place – not to mention how everyone else found out.

}-{

"_And finally, although it is sudden...we would like to announce two new members of the Guardians," the King stated. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes._

"_He wouldn't," she muttered as the students whispered about how the Guardian group was expanding._

"_Our fifth and sixth members: the Twin Jokers. Yang: Hinamori Amu. Yin: Haruno Saku," he announced as the students broke into new whispers._

"_He did!" her three Chara laughed as Sakura sighed._

}-{

She realised suddenly that she still hadn't gotten Tadase back for announcing the news so publicly. Sakura shrugged, knowing that she had no real plans for revenge, and climbed onto the stage, sitting on the edge and closing her eyes, listening to the silence.

"Mari! Stop it!"

"So much for silence," Sakura sighed, glancing towards her trio of misbehaving Charas. Mari was tugging on Katsumi's hair after the latter had called her tomboy attitude stupid.

"Saku-chan, perhaps it would be wise to stop them before it got too out of hand," Setsuko, always calm and level-headed, stepped in. Sakura nodded and scooped the two up, Katsumi in her left hand and Mari in her right, giving both a stern look.

"Sorry."

{-}

"You're going to the Royal Garden?" Mari asked, scratching her head. "I didn't think you liked it much in there."

"In all honesty, I hate the place in itself," Sakura shrugged. "It is, however, where I spend most of my time. It only seems right..."

"Hey, Sakura-san!" she heard a too-familiar voice sing. Turning, Sakura raised a brow at the old-Nikaidou – klutzy, unfashionable, though still strangely attractive despite all that.

"What're you doing here?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily. All she wanted to do was get home and sleep. Nikaidou grinned and patted her hat-covered head.

"I'm an official teacher now," he stated.

"No, I knew that," Sakura sighed. "What I meant was; why are you _here_?"

"Oh, I see," he chuckled, patting her head again. "I just came to see my favourite student."

"Since when am I your favourite?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes. "You kidnapped me."

"Yes, but that's in the past now, Sakura-san," he waved his hand.

"That was last week. And I never recall giving you permission to call me by my name," she mumbled, but was ignored.

"Anyway, the reason you're my favourite is because you are, by far, the smartest child in this entire school," he smiled, acting as though he had not just called every student – except Sakura – stupid. "Therefore, I prefer the smart over the average."

"That's a little harsh," she commented as he shrugged.

"So, this is your favourite place?" Nikaidou asked, pointing to the green-house building behind her. This time, it was Sakura's turn to shrug.

"Not really. I just spend all my time here," she sighed, shaking her head and looking at the building from top to bottom. "I have no attachment to it."

"That's not right," he scolded. "You should only draw the place that draws you in the most – the one place in the school you love to be."

"There isn't a..." she stopped, an idea coming to her as she grinned. "I know just where to go! Thanks, sensei!"

"You're welcome," he smiled, happy with his job of inspiring his best and favourite student.

{-}

"Saku-chan?" called Mari.

"Where are we going?" Katsumi and Setsuko enquired.

"My favourite place," she smiled secretively.

{-}

Nikaidou sat at his desk, looking through the pictures that the students had drawn that day. He passed one piece by Fujisaki Nadeshiko – a pretty drawing of the outside of the Royal Garden. Hotori Tadase had drawn the school building in his own, interesting way – meaning that he had drawn himself in front of the school on a throne with the other Guardians around him. Hinamori Amu's drawing was...interesting.

"Wow," he smiled when he came to the drawing he was looking forwards too – Haruno Sakura's. In her picture she had drawn a view from the roof of the main school building. He could see the railings, on which she had drawn two boys – their backs facing him as he looked at it. He could tell, though, from their hair and clothes, that these boys were Ikuto and Kukai.

With a small smile, Nikaidou placed her work to one side and continued.


	18. Birthdays and Goodbyes

Chapter Eighteen

"Good morning!" Sakura hummed as she got herself ready for school that morning. She twirled around her room, brushing her hair and tying her tie around her neck. As she walked out into the living room, the smell of pancakes hit her nose and she grinned, turning towards the kitchen.

"Happy birthday, Saku-chan!" cheered her Charas as she entered, a large bowl of blueberry pancakes waiting on the kitchen side, surrounded by three smaller bowls for her Charas.

"Thanks, Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari," Sakura smiled, scooping them all up in a hug before settling down to eat her breakfast. She sighed, looking out of the window at the sun and giggled. "It's such a pretty day," she stated happily. "I can't wait to see the others."

"Right!" they grinned, digging in to their meals too. Sakura joyous mood was flattened when she caught sight of the photo of her mother and she lowered her fork, walking to the picture.

"I...miss you, Mama," she whispered, her fingers running over her mother's hair before moving to her father's face. "At least you're together now."

{-}

Sakura was humming a little birthday tune all the way to school, her hair twisted up and out of sight, as usual. She was to meet the Guardians in the library that morning, to help them with their paperwork if they needed it, since Amu had assured her that there wasn't any point in Sakura doing the cleaning with her and the other Fifth Graders.

"Have you told Hinamori-san and Haruno-san?" she heard Tadase ask someone inside the library. Stepping in, she immediately felt the depressed atmosphere and her smile fell.

"Told me what?" Sakura asked, placing down her bag. Her Charas, about to announce the arrival of the birthday girl, received a look from their owner and they looked away. Nadeshiko peered over at the small pinkette and her face became saddened.

"I...I am moving away soon," Nadeshiko admitted. "I am going to England to dance. It's a wonderful opportunity, but..."

"You don't want to leave?" Sakura finished, knowing what Nadeshiko was going through.

"No...Not at all," admitted the Queen, her face gloomy. "I know this will be a great thing for me, and my dancing, and I am grateful to my mother for allowing me this...but I do not think I am yet ready to give up my friends."

{-}

Sakura sighed heavily as she walked out of the school building, her birthday spirits reduced to nothing more than a mild remembrance of her having lived through another year without her mother. She flinched as she remembered the day her mother had passed, exactly eight years that day. Looking around her, she began to wish that she hadn't let Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari stay with the Guardians to bid their farewells to Temari. With another sigh, Sakura continued her walk to where Amu was sitting, surrounded by friends.

"What about you, Hinamori Amu?" asked a girl Sakura had met only briefly when fighting her X-Egg. "Who do you like right now?" she continued. Sakura rolled her eyes, knowing that the love between Amu and the clueless Tadase was obvious for almost everyone to see. "Why don't you pray to the match-making temple God?"

"I want to know who Hinamori-san likes, too!" another girl gushed, her eyes sparkling at the chance as they all leaned towards Amu.

"Who is it?" the third girl enquired.

"T-The person I like?" Amu stuttered nervously, not enjoying the attention solely on her. "T-That would have to be..." she trailed off, falling into her fantasy.

"Hey!" her friend called, snapping Amu out of her trance. "Whose face popped into your mind?"

"N-No one in particular!" she denied. "It's just stupid to rely on 'Gods of Love' or whatever. Besides, boys and love don't interest me, particularly."

"That's not surprising coming from you, Hinamori Amu."

"Cool and Spicy!" they chanted as Sakura stepped into view.

"Yo, Hinamori," she called, nodding her head when Amu spotted her. "What are all of you talking about?" she asked. Amu noticed the blushes spreading across her friends' faces and had to suppress a laugh.

"Nothing, really, Haruno," she waved off, "Some temple with a God of Love."

"God of Love?" asked Sakura, interest showing on her face as she crouched down and leant over to get a better look at the magazine, "Wah! That looks kinda cool," she smiled. "Maybe I'll check it out some time."

"H-Haruno?" asked Amu, puzzled by her happy attitude. Sakura shrugged and stood, stretching out her back before turning to leave.

"See ya," she called over her shoulder.

"H-Haruno-kun," the girls, though not Amu, whispered in a daze.

"He's not afraid to show his interest in love," Manami sighed.

"He's got the most enchanting eyes," Wakana added dreamily.

"He's friendly, yet closed off at the same time," Misaki giggled.

"He's...Cool and Mysterious!" the three cheered. Amu shook her head slightly, a small smile forming on her lips.

'_He's also a girl.'_

{-}

"Matchmaking Temple, huh?" Sakura muttered to herself, placing a finger on her lip in thought. "...Matchmaking Temple..."

}-{

"_Please, God..." Sakura prayed after ringing the bell and clapping her hands together. She closed her eyes, but felt someone to her right. Opening her eyes again, Sakura gasped, "S-Soma-sempai?"_

"_Yo, Haruno!" he grinned, picking her up and holding her in his arm, chuckling gently. "Pray for me, okay?"_

"_I-I –"_

"_Don't be stupid, kid," a deeper voice broke in as Sakura was pulled from Kukai's arms and lifted higher in the air, tucked gently against the high school student's chest. "She'll pray for me, right, Sakura?"_

"_Ikuto...?" Sakura muttered, blinking up at him._

"_No! Sakura-chan loves me and only me!"_

"_That's the other way around, idiot. She'll pray for me."_

"_N-Naruto?" she stuttered, "Sasuke?" the girl continued, looking between the two. A final person stepped forwards and smirked at her._

"_You've been praying for me for a while anyway, Sakura," he whispered, "So why not continue?"_

"_N-Neji-sempai!" she gasped._

}-{

Sakura blinked, shaking her head and getting rid of all of the images from her last fantasy. Sighing, she realised that she was becoming more and more like Amu every day. This was _not_ a good thing. Rubbing her eyes, Sakura began to walk towards the school gates, intent on leaving. Turning when she felt three familiar presences, Sakura smiled.

"Saku-chan!" called Sakura's Shugo Charas as they flew into view.

"We've been looking all over for you," Katsumi huffed, crossing her arms.

"Nadeshiko and Temari have both left for home, Saku-chan," Setsuko informed her politely.

"Yeah, so we came to find you," Mari nodded with a grin. That grin suddenly became a scary face as she began to growl viciously. "But you were going to leave us, weren't you?"

"Umm...Yes," Sakura replied truthfully. "Come on. Let's go home," she smiled, looking away from them.

"Did anyone wish you a happy birthday, Saku-chan?" Mari asked her, her green eyes wide and filled with worry. Sakura forced her smile and shrugged.

"Well, you three did," she faked a laugh. "That's enough for me, you know?"

"It's not good enough!" Katsumi frowned, crossing her arms as the three of them walked past the park. Sakura sighed and looked up, seeing her apartment building ahead.

"It doesn't matter," she told them in a finalising tone. "Today isn't all that special anyway. It's the day that my mother..."

"Saku-chan," the three sighed as they walked into her apartment, letting her go alone into her bedroom to change out of her uniform. She quickly put on a pair of baggy denim shorts that fell just passed her knees and a baggy, mustard yellow, long-sleeved shirt with a round collar. The girl then collected all her hair and twisted it under a blue and white baseball cap before walking back out.

"C'mon, guys; we're going for a walk," Sakura called. She pulled on her blue and white trainers, smiling when the others caught her up.

"Where're we going, Saku-chan?" Setsuko enquired, tilting her head. Sakura winked and shrugged slightly.

"I don't know. It's just a random walk to nowhere," she smiled. "Let's go!"

She and her Charas walked through the streets, stopping to pet a cat when they saw one and ignoring all of the people that gave the rowdy-looking 'boy' a strange look. Sakura had almost made it to the park when someone ran into her, both of them falling to the ground. Landing on her hip, Sakura winced and sat up.

"Watch it!" snapped the 'Spicy' tone of Amu's voice. She then noticed who it was and began to freak. "Ah! Haruno! Sorry, sorry. I didn't see you," she babbled, moving to help Sakura up.

"Are you going somewhere, Hinamori?" Sakura asked, accepting Amu's hand and rubbing her sore hip.

"Well...yes," Amu nodded. "I'm going to see Nadeshiko. Do you want to come with me?"

"Is this about relationship problems?" Sakura yawned, not noticing that Amu had frozen. "So, that's a 'yes', then? Who are you confused about?"

"W-Well, I'll tell you...but only if you truthfully tell me who _you_ like," Amu suggested, cutting Sakura off when she was about to speak again. "Don't try to deny it, because I can see the look of a girl in love, and you've got it."

"Fine, fine," Sakura sighed, with no real intention of telling Amu anything. "You go first," she allowed as the two of them, with their Chara floating happily behind, began their walk to Nadeshiko's house.

"It...It's kinda complicated," Amu gulped as they sped up. "You see, I really like Tadase-kun, and I have for a while, but..."

"There's someone else?" Sakura tilted her head, noticing that the two were now running towards the girl's large home. She didn't know why they were in such a rush, but carried on running anyway.

"Yes," Amu admitted, "Whenever I'm around Ikuto, my heart races."

"Ikuto?" asked Sakura with wide eyes, a sudden surge of dislike towards Amu spiking inside her. She had no idea what it was, so she shook it off.

"Yeah...Ikuto," she paused. "Then there's Kukai as well."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Sakura scowled, that dislike showing its head again. She knew what it was now – jealousy. Her old friend Ino had gone through the same thing when Sasuke paid more attention to the pinkette than any other girl in their school.

"I know," the taller girl sighed as they came to a stop outside Nadeshiko's home, Amu looking towards the pavement and Sakura glaring at her. "I think I like them all. What should I do?"

"I think you should –"

"Obocchama!" an elderly, but strong, voice interrupted Sakura's advice and both girls paused, looking towards the old housekeeper as she looked around nervously, "Nagihiko-bocchama!"

"Nagihiko?" both girls commented in union, not knowing who the woman was talking about. As far as they knew, the housekeeper, Nadeshiko and the Queen's Chair's mother were the only ones who lived in the large house.

"Where did that boy go?" she asked herself. "The others have all assembled." As she turned around, she spotted the girls and freaked.

"H-Hello," Amu greeted. Sakura just offered a short wave.

"H-Hinamori-sama," the elderly woman recognised. "I haven't seen you in a while. W-Who is your young friend?"

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura reminded her, pulling off her hat and letting loose curls fall down her back. A look of recognition passed over the woman's features as she bowed in greeting, Sakura copying the gesture.

"Excuse me," Amu called, "but who is this 'Obocchama' person?"

"W-Well, that would be...umm...err..." she stuttered and stumbled over her words, unsure of what to tell them.

"You rang?" someone, a boy, from the gate roof called down to the three females below. The three looked up and Sakura saw someone that looked exactly the same as Nadeshiko, only in boy's clothes. "I'm right here," he smiled slightly, though it only made his face look even more boyish.

'_Wow...'_ Sakura thought, staring up at him with wide eyes as he leapt down from the roof, his long hair flowing behind him.

"Hello, Amu-chan," he greeted. "Did you come here to see Nadeshiko?"

'_Of course; he only notices __**Amu**__,'_ Sakura scowled, shuffling around and digging the toe of her shoe into the ground as she placed her hat back on, hiding her hair inside it.

"Umm, how did you know my name?" Amu asked in alarm after she had answered his question. He laughed deeply – Sakura blushed, but stomped it down quickly – and smiled.

"Obocchama, everyone is waiting inside," the old woman told him, moving between Amu and the boy. He grinned.

"Oops," he shrugged, grabbing Amu's hand. "We're running for it!" he announced, pulling her along as he ran away. Amu, so as not to be alone with this strange boy, grabbed Sakura's wrist and dragged her with them. She flew out behind them like a doll, very un-amused.

"Obocchama!" the smaller pinkette heard the woman call out from behind them, desperation in her tone. She felt slightly bad for the lady, but brushed it off. It was her own fault for letting the boy out of her sight, after all. They ran down the street until Amu finally broke.

"H-Hold on a minute!" she yelled, pulling her hand away from the boy's, but keeping a hold on Sakura's wrist.

"Sorry. Was I going too fast?" the boy asked, stopping and turning to face the taller girl.

"No, but, what's going on?" Amu demanded. "Who are you? You look just like Nadeshiko."

"I suppose he does," nodded Katsumi, watching as her sisters also nodded in agreement.

"I'm Nagihiko," he announced with a smile, "Nadeshiko's twin brother."

"Say what?" muttered Sakura, drawing his attention to her as Amu freaked out over this new knowledge.

"Ah, sorry; I didn't notice you," he smiled apologetically. "You were behind Amu-chan and, since you're so small, I didn't see you."

"It happens," Sakura shrugged, turning away with a pout. She felt a hand on her head and turned around just a second too late as Nagihiko pulled the hat off of her head, her loose curls flying around her face.

"Nadeshiko was right," he said, an almost unnoticeable blush on his cheeks that went completely unseen by Sakura. "You really do look cuter as a girl. Maybe I'll just keep this," he laughed, holding the hat away from her as Sakura pouted, crossing her arms. "And there's the pout I've heard so much about."

"S-Shut up!" ordered Sakura, her pout still in place as her Charas and Nagihiko cooed at her. "So, you really are Fujisaki-san's twin, huh?" she asked to get the conversation away from her and how 'cute' she was.

"Yep, twins," he nodded, still smiling. "Normally, we live apart, but I've just returned today," Nagihiko explained to both of the pinkettes. He turned in the direction they had been running, his hair moving with him. "All of our relatives have gathered for some reason."

"Don't you need to go back to the house?" Amu asked innocently, neither of the girls noticing his slightly coy grin.

"It's okay," Nagihiko assured them. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you, Amu-chan."

"So, I guess I can leave," Sakura shrugged, turning to go before Nagihiko placed his arm around her shoulders and steered her back towards him and Amu.

"No, you can't go," he smiled.

"Why must I stay?" the tiny girl sighed, looking up at him.

"Because I thought Nadeshiko was exaggerating about how cute you were, and I need you to stay as proof that she was telling the truth," he smiled, winking at her. Sakura tilted her head at the lame excuse.

"Are you hitting on me?" she asked, pointing to herself as her Charas laughed at how naïve she really was.

"Kind of," he admitted with a short laugh. "Nadeshiko is always talking about the Guardians. Amu-chan, she says that you are her best friend."

"Best friend...that has a nice ring to it," smiled Amu, a blush taking over her face from her embarrassed. Sakura looked between the two and tried to make another sneaky escape, but Nagihiko reached towards her and took her hand, holding her there.

"Come on, let's go!" he said suddenly. "It would be a waste to just stand around."

"Huh?" both girls and their Charas all muttered in union. Nagihiko smiled, shaking his head a little.

"Go where?" Amu asked finally.

"The Matchmaking Temple," he winked.

{-}

Sakura bit her lip as they walked on, her hands clasped behind her back. She was walking slowly behind Amu, but knew she couldn't leave – Nagihiko turned every so often to check that she was still there. So, not wanting to waste her time, Sakura began to think about the confession Amu had made. Tadase, Ikuto _and_ Kukai – next it would be Nagihiko, no doubt.

It seemed that Amu couldn't just be happy with liking the 'Prince', and had to like the ones Sakura herself was confused about. She liked Kukai – she could easily admit to that, and she had become extremely jealous around his piano-playing friend. She also liked Ikuto, to an extent, though she would _never_ admit to _that_. Even Nagihiko was having an effect on her, his boyish charms easily bringing out the girl in her. She was just glad that she found Tadase as attractive as a gardener finds a weed – no offense to him, of course.

She was tomboyish, quiet and could never quite cope around people, let alone boys, when she was on her own. Amu, however, was more girly, more confident, outgoing and all-around _better_ than Sakura, or so she thought. Though they were both pinkettes, Amu seemed to stand out more than Sakura did, most likely due to the shorter girl almost always wearing a hat. The smaller, younger girl didn't stand a chance when placed against her Twin Joker.

She winced, thinking about Ikuto and Kukai. Those two were the only ones around her that she felt even a little comfortable with since moving from her old town, and Amu was going to steal them from her. She would be left with no one, watching Amu's back as she walked away with the Prince, the Jack and the Cat all at once. No one had ever watched _her_ back, and it wasn't going to change.

"Over here," Nagihiko called, holding out his hand as he jumped up the steps easily. Amu took his hand and he helped her up, but Sakura remained. "Don't worry, it's a shortcut," he assured her, holding out his other hand. Sakura moved to take it, but hesitated – this gave Nagihiko the chance to reach further and gently take her hand in his, pulling her up the steps.

They continued walking; apparently Nagihiko didn't notice that he was still holding both of their hands. Sakura, not wanting to comment and quite enjoying the feel of his soft hand holding her much smaller one, remained quiet, but she could tell that Amu would do no such thing. The taller girl was just staring at their joined hands and, after a short while, cleared her throat.

"Umm, Nagihiko..." she said, catching his attention. "You're still holding our hands," she stated, her face blank, though with a blush. Nagihiko, not looking at all surprised, looked down at the hand he had holding Amu's and smiled.

"Oh, you're right," he nodded. "It's different today," the boy continued mysteriously, looking away and letting go of Amu's hand.

"Today?" asked Amu, not noticing that he was still holding Sakura's hand, though both Nagihiko and Sakura knew. Sakura's Charas watched from the trees, along with Amu's three Charas, at the humans, "Ah, Nagihiko!"

"Hm; yes?" he asked patiently, turning again to Amu. The taller girl, though not as tall as the boy, pointed to his other hand.

"You didn't let go of Haruno's hand," she pointed out. Nagihiko smiled slightly and held tighter, shrugging.

"She doesn't seem to mind," he stated, watching Sakura blush. "Besides, we can't have her wandering off, and this seems like the best way to keep track of her."

"I'm not a pet," Sakura muttered, pulling her hand away. Nagihiko shrugged again and carried on, both girls still following him. Sakura began to wonder _why_, exactly, they were following a boy they didn't know, but assumed it was because he looked just so much like Nadeshiko, whom they both knew and, to an extent, trusted.

"Nagihiko defiantly knows how to deal with Saku-chan," Katsumi stated with a small smile from the tree.

"And Amu-chan, too," Ran added.

"He's so cool!" Suu cooed, looking at the long-haired boy lovingly.

"For sure!" agreed Mari, sticking her thumbs up and grinning at Suu.

"He is nothing more than a playboy," Setsuko and Miki said in union before looking at each other and nodded, silently agreeing that he was probably no good.

The three walked on, Nagihiko pointing things out to the girls that they hadn't noticed. Amu, from the looks of things, had never walked this path before, while Sakura didn't usually notice small details unless she had to. She looked into the tree when she heard a group of hushed voices and smiled at the Charas before continuing to follow the two taller people.

"I had no idea that there was such a pretty park out here," Amu gushed as they walked away from the bridge where she had been giggling about ducks and ducklings. She jumped when a dog leapt out and began to bark at her, but Nagihiko stepped in.

"Benkei, it's me!" he said, approaching the animal. "It's me," he repeated as the dog recognised him and barked happily, moving closer. Nagihiko began to stroke the animal's head, laughing and Sakura watched.

'_Aww, he's so cute!'_ she said mentally, thinking about the dog. The animal turned to her and she blinked, expecting it to bark at her as it had done to Amu, but instead he jumped on her. Sakura was knocked to the ground with the dog licking her face.

"Benkei, stop it!" Nagihiko said quickly, pausing when he heard Sakura giggling as she pushed gently at the dog's face. He smiled – he had expected Sakura to be afraid of the dog, but instead she was petting him. "Come on, get off," he laughed, hauling the animal off of the small girl, who wiped at the drool on her face before sitting on her knees, stroking the dog happily.

"_Bark!_" woofed Benkei joyfully, nudging Sakura with his nose, begging for more attention.

"How come he likes you so much?" Amu asked, shaking her head and keeping her distance from the dog.

"I don't know," Sakura smiled. "I just love dogs."

"Obocchama," an old man called to him, getting everyone's attention. "Nagihiko-bocchama," he said again. Next to him was a little girl – crying – with two little boys by her sides, attempting to comfort her. Upon looking up, they saw three balloons stuck in the tree.

"Wait one moment," Nagihiko smiled at the girls before running forwards, quickly climbing the tree – only slipping once – and taking hold of the balloons, jumping down. He knelt in front of the little girl and presented the balloons to her and she grinned happily.

"Thanks!" the three children said gratefully, bowing to him.

"You're welcome," Nagihiko smiled as the old man approached him.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Obocchama," he said happily. "Are you on a date with one of these young ladies, today?" he asked, seeing both of the girls blush, but Nagihiko didn't seemed fazed in the least.

"N-No! I mean, we just met Nagihiko today!" Amu began, waving her arms around, denying everything.

"That's right. I am," Nagihiko smiled. "However, it's the shorter girl behind her that I am on a date with," he added, not wanting to upset Amu by saying that it was her and, overall, finding Sakura more attractive. Sakura looked up from the dog and tilted her head.

"Huh?" she asked, not having heard most of the conversation.

"What a cute young girl she is," the man approved. "And your young friend is quite lively."

"She's pretty!" one of the boys grinned, a blush on his cheeks as he ran towards Sakura with his balloon. "Here!" he said, presenting it to her. Sakura blinked and, not wanting to be mean, took the balloon. However, before the boy could run back to his friends, she tied it around is wrist.

"There," she smiled. "Now you won't have to worry about losing it again. Thank you for giving it to me, though, but I think you should keep it."

"O-Okay!" nodded the little boy, his blush increasing.

"Can you tie mine too?"

"And mine?"

As Sakura tied the balloons onto the wrists of the other little boy and the little girl, Amu and Nagihiko watched her interact easily with the children. She offered them one last smile before standing, not offering any complaint when Nagihiko reached out and took her hand again, leading her away, but his own shoulder was caught before they could leave.

"Nagihiko-bocchama, why not have something from my shop?" he suggested kindly. "It'll be free for you and your date, and your friend too, of course."

"Hmm..." Nagihiko considered it. "Alright – just the usual, though," he nodded, this time tugging Sakura towards a small food stand, turning to take Amu's wrist and lead her in the same direction. The three sat down on the seat out front, Nagihiko sitting between the two of them, as they waiting for 'the usual'.

"Here you are," The man smiled, coming back with a fresh plate of tea and...

"Dango!" cried Sakura happily, picking up one of the stick. "Thank you for the food!" she said, munching on her sweets with a small blush on her face. Amu and Nagihiko, as well as many passersby, had to pause to stare at the cuteness of the tiny girl eating her Dango, before they all snapped out of their trance and carried on.

"Thank you," Nagihiko smiled, picking up a cup of tea and sipping at it. "Do you think you could bring another plate of Dango? Sakura-chan might want some more," he laughed, watching as she quickly finished off her stick of Dango, turning to her tea.

"Of course, Obocchama," the old man nodded, walking back inside to get more treats.

"Are you familiar with this area, Nagihiko?" Amu asked, picking up her tea and drinking a sip of it. Nagihiko glanced at her.

"When I was little, I used to sneak out of training and explore here," he confessed with a small, guilty smile on his face.

"Was Nadeshiko with you?" she asked innocently, smiling at the thought of her best friend. Sakura paused in drinking her tea and blinked as an old memory of her and her friends came to her mind.

}-{

"_Hurry, Sakura-chan!" giggled Ino, running ahead of the pinkette. "Come on, or we'll miss Tenten-sempai's first match!"_

"_N-No!" cried Sakura, "We promised we'd be there!"_

"_Right!" nodded the blonde, "And you still have to give Neji-sempai his 'good-luck' onigiri, right?"_

"_I-I didn't just make one for him!" she blushed as Ino grinned. "I made some from Tenten-sempai, Lee-sempai and Kankuro-sempai as well!"_

"_Of course," agreed the taller girl, "but who are you most looking forward to giving it to?"_

"_Ino-chan!" she whined, embarrassed by her friend's teasing._

}-{

Shaking her head from the memory, and blushing a little as she remember when Neji kissed her forehead to say 'thank you', the girl accepted the second plate of Dango the old man was offering before taking a stick of it and leaving the rest for the others. She smiled then, recalling how the Karate tournament ended with Neji becoming the champion of the novice group, and Lee declaring that he would someday defeat him.

"Uh huh," Nagihiko nodded in reply to Amu's question, though – to Sakura – it almost seemed like he was lying. There was something a little _too_ familiar about the boy, and it had nothing to do with being Nadeshiko's 'twin'. The smaller pinkette narrowed her eyes in thought.

"The training must have been tough," Amu realised.

"True," Nagihiko admitted, "but I never thought of it as something painful. When I dance, I completely assume that role. It's fun to be able to express the feelings of many different people. I want to put on a better performance. I've always felt that way."

"I'd like to see you dance sometime," Sakura cut in, leaning forwards so that she was in sight and not hidden behind his shoulder.

"Perhaps I could have that arranged," Nagihiko smiled, but it turned into a slight smirk as an idea popped into his mind, "Though, only if you agree to dance _with_ me."

"...No," Sakura shook her head. "Anyway, Hinamori, wasn't there something you wanted to tell Fujisaki-san? Maybe Fujisaki-kun could tell you where she is," she suggested, just able to wrap her mind around the names. Usually, she would never call anyone 'kun', but, considering there were two people of the same age with the same last name, she could make one exception.

"Hm?" the boy grinned, leaning towards her. "I like the 'kun', but I call _you_ by your given name. Why can't you do the same?"

"I don't recall giving _anyone_ permission to call me 'Sakura', let alone 'Sakura-_chan_'," she retorted, seeing him shrug in defeat.

"I suppose," he nodded, turning to Amu. "So, there was something you wanted to tell Nadeshiko?"

"Y-Yeah," Amu nodded. He looked as though he was considering something before he smiled and took her hand.

"Can you tell me instead?" he offered, tilting his head and putting on his best 'innocent' face.

"Definitely a playboy," Miki and Setsuko nodded, seeing their sisters fighting about who Nagihiko liked more, Amu or Sakura. Strange as it was, Suu and _Mari_ were fighting for Amu, while Katsumi and _Ran_ were fighting for Sakura. As it happened, both of the Girls in Blue just wanted him to disappear, or turn into Nadeshiko instead.

"Not a chance!" freaked Amu, moving away from him and blush. "Just how fickle am I? Seriously?" she asked herself. Nagihiko smiled in amusement, though only Sakura understood what she was talking about. Her eyes narrowed.

{-}

"I see," Nagihiko nodded, walking slightly in front of Amu and holding Sakura's hand again. The taller girl had just finished telling him about Tadase, Ikuto and Kukai – but only using the name of the King's Chair – and how she felt about them. "You're only supposed to like one person, yet you think about a number of different boys, and that bothers you."

"Yeah," Amu admitted sadly, her eyes closed and her face covered with guilt.

"What about you, Sakura-chan?" Nagihiko, who had completely refused to call the smaller person anything _but_ her first name, asked.

"What do you mean?" Sakura replied, giving him a blank face. He held her hand tighter, but Sakura didn't really care.

"How many boys do you like, if any?" he asked with a carefree smile. Sakura tilted her head and sighed.

"Hmm...Two," she nodded, but paused suddenly, "No, three; umm, four? Five, maybe," As the girl continued, she saw Nagihiko's eyes widen a little, as Amu's jaw dropped. "Let's see, I like...six boys...maybe seven, but I'm not so sure about that last one," she confessed, _'Damn you, Kiba, for buying that cute little Akamaru!'_

"Wow," Nagihiko blinked, but he quickly recovered. "Am I one of those boys?"

"Yes," she admitted without a trace of a blush anywhere on her face while Amu almost fainted at the smaller girl's bravery. "I believe you are the sixth or seventh boy I like," she continued, placing a finger to her lip in thought.

"I see," Nagihiko, blushing, nodded. "Ah, we're here."

"Huh?" Amu mumbled, snapping out of her shock. "This is..."

"The Matchmaking Temple," Nagihiko smiled, stepping aside and ushering the two girls inside. "Let's pay it a visit," he said, even though he wasn't giving them much of a choice. "Amu-chan?" he called when Amu stopped, looking away.

"I think I'll pass," she sighed, turning to the exit. Not wanting her to leave, Sakura reached out and took a hold of Amu's sleeve, looking away.

"W-Why're you leaving?" she asked, clutching it tightly and not letting go. _'I really don't want her to leave...not on my birthday. I'm actually having...fun.'_

"H-Haruno?" stuttered Amu in amazement. The little girl didn't usually make any kind of voluntary contact with people, so this was a shock for her. "W-Well, if I go in with my feelings so jumbled, I'll make the Matchmaking God angry," she sighed.

"At what point does 'like' become 'love', anyway?" Nagihiko asked suddenly, looking up at the sky. Both girls turned to him. "You like your friends. You like people you admire," he continued. "There are different kinds of like, agreed? I just wonder where you draw the boundary between 'like' and 'true love'."

"H-Huh?" asked Amu, shocked, before she shook it off.

"Come on," Sakura urged, taking Amu's hand and Nagihiko's hand as well, tugging both of them towards the temple. "My feelings aren't exactly set straight either, but maybe this place will help put out a clear path," she smiled towards Amu, seeing the girl eyes brighten. _'Hopefully, you'll settle with Tadase – since you both obviously like each other a lot – and then I can decide who __**I**__ truly like.'_

"Right," Amu nodded as they approached the temple. The girls stood on either side of Nagihiko as all three rang the bell together, clapping twice before they began praying. When they were done, Nagihiko smiled and pulled both of them towards the souvenirs stand, leaving them to look at things while he went around and bought three souvenirs.

"Here," said Nagihiko when he came back, holding out a small orange bag to Amu. "It's a matchmaking charm," he told her as she took it.

"Thanks," she smiled, holding it out in front of her. Nagihiko turned and handed Sakura one as well, the smaller girl looking at it with wonder on her face – she knew it wasn't, but she wanted to think of it as a birthday gift.

"It's the same as mine," he told them both, holding up another bag that matched their own.

"Did you pray to be matched with someone, too?" Amu asked. Nagihiko shrugged, looking at Sakura meaningfully, before winking at the taller girl.

"Perhaps," he smiled. "But, you know, girls are really complicated. I still have a lot to learn before I can hope for my prayer to come true."

{-}

"Bye, Hinamori," bid Sakura as she came to the turning that separated her apartment from the homes of both Amu and Nagihiko.

"See you tomorrow, Haruno," the taller girl smiled. Sakura turned to Nagihiko and looked him in the eyes, seeing an expression of calm that she knew could only be pulled off by one person.

"Bye, Fujisaki-san," she smiled gently, seeing Nagihiko's eyes widen before she turned around, _'So long, Nadeshiko.'_

'_She knows?'_ thought Nagihiko in awe before his shock melted into a serene smile befitting of a girl, _'She knows...'_

{-}

On her way to school the next day, Sakura fiddled with her hat and sighed. Her birthday hadn't turned out like she had planned. Everyone had been upset by the news of Nadeshiko leaving and she had met Nadeshiko's 'playboy twin brother', whom she knew/suspected to be Nadeshiko's real-self – or alter-ego, whichever you prefer. She only received two gifts, one a breakfast and the other not intended to be a birthday gift at all.

"Hey, Stalker," a deep voice sounded from behind her. Sakura turned and saw Ikuto jumping down from a tall wall with one hand behind his back. When she attempted to see what he was holding, he turned so that she couldn't peek.

"What is it, Ikuto?" Sakura asked, thinking about her prayer in the temple and how he had played a big part in what she wanted. Blinking her thoughts away, she blushed when he grinned down at her, bending over so that their foreheads were touching.

"Still flirting with grade school kids, Ikuto?" a friend of his from high school asked loudly. Sakura then noticed that Ikuto was wearing his uniform – sort of – so he must have been going to school.

"Hold on a second!" he called back before turning back to Sakura. "Katsumi told Yoru that it was your birthday yesterday," he began. "So he told me, and I must say that I'm a bit annoyed that _you_ didn't tell me, or anyone, for that matter."

"It's no big deal," Sakura shrugged, moving to turn away before he took her by the shoulder.

"Not so fast," Ikuto smirked as he carefully pulled his violin out of its case, holding it gently by the neck and poising it to be played. The girl tilted her head and blinked.

"Huh? What's this?" Sakura muttered, staring at the boy, who only rolled his eyes and lifted the bow.

"Your gift," he smirked. "I hope you don't mind, but I have no money to go out and buy one, and I'm sure you'd find a cat inconvenient, since you're in school and live on your own."

"That's...strangely nice," Sakura said as she relaxed, waiting for the music to be played. Ikuto sighed and stood straight, touching his bow to his violin and allowing the music to float through the air. The pinkette closed her eyes as she listened, her Charas also being lulled by the soft noise of the string instrument Ikuto was playing. Setsuko smiled gently as she sat herself on Sakura's shoulder and, all too soon, the music stopped.

"That's all there is, I'm afraid," he chuckled, putting the violin away again as Sakura approached him. As soon as he stood up, she was hugging him around the waist, quickly backing away.

"Thanks, Ikuto," she smiled, a blush on her cheeks as she refused to even look at him, let alone meet his eyes. Ikuto blinked out of his daze and shook his head, strapping his violin case onto his shoulder.

"No problem, Stalker," he chuckled, stealing her hat from her and ruffling her hair before dropping her hat on her head and moving to walk away. Smiling a little as she straightened her bangs and twisted her hair back up, Sakura turned around, her eyes widening.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

"Kukai?" she muttered.


	19. Flowers and Tea Cup Rides

Chapter Nineteen

"So?" Kukai asked, walking closer to her, "Why not?" Looking down at the short girl he sighed.

"Because you were all so concerned with Fujisaki-san," Sakura told him, looking away from the boy and at her worried Charas. "I didn't want to ruin her last day in Japan."

"Your birthday is important," he scowled. "And I thought you liked dogs, anyway. Ikuto is _defiantly_ a cat."

"Oh, I do like dogs," Sakura nodded, looking away from her Charas and back to Kukai. "But...I guess I like cats, too. I like them both," she added, blushing as she basically, in her mind, admitted that she liked Ikuto.

"Dogs are _way_ better," Mari snorted, rolling her eyes. Katsumi looked up and scowled.

"No! Cats are more feminine and graceful!" she retorted, crossing her arms.

"As you can tell, my love for each was split between these two," Sakura sighed, separating the girls. An idea seemed to hit Kukai like a bolt of lightning and he took the girl's hand in his and dragged her down the street, away from the school.

"This will be _my_ present to you, then," he grinned as they came to a stop, just outside a flower shop. "Wait here," Kukai told her as he stepped inside. She looked around the outside and shrugged, not minding how obvious it was.

"I think I have a good idea what he's getting me," Sakura sighed, shaking her head as Kukai returned, one hand behind his back and a nervous grin on his face.

"Okay, so you know that I've got flowers, but you don't know what kind," he grinned, as if trying to assure himself that she didn't know what he had gotten her. "So, here's one bouquet of bluebells and daisies for the belated birthday girl."

"Thank you," Sakura said to him, accepting the small bouquet of blue, yellow and white flowers. "I love your gift."

"Really?" asked Kukai hopefully. When he saw her nod, his grin was wider than ever. "Well, I doubt you'll want to take them to school with you."

"Oh, you're right," Sakura blinked. "I guess I'll take them home and put them in a vase, then. I might be late, though...Oh well," she smiled, turning, but Kukai gently took her elbow, pulling her bag out of her hand.

"I'll walk you," he offered. Sakura agreed with a nod and began leading Kukai to her apartment before she paused, looking back at him. "What is it?" Kukai asked, tilting his head.

"It's just..." Sakura began, biting her lip. "No one from school knows where I live, and I kinda wanted to keep it that way. I'm not saying that I don't want you to come, I just..."

"Just what?" enquired Kukai, clutching his fists by his sides, one hand still her holding bag. _'Is she going to ditch me?'_

"Just don't tell anyone," she sighed, turning around again as he relaxed. They turned a corner and she stopped outside her apartment building, sighing.

"Hmm?" hummed Kukai, looking between her and the building.

"Don't say a _word_ about my place," she warned, leading him past her landlord's desk, where he cleared his throat. "Y-Yes?" asked Sakura shakily.

"You have some mail that you didn't pick up," he told her. "And I need to speak with you immediately, Haruno."

"Alright, just let me take my friend upstairs and I'll be right down," Sakura assured him, turning and going up the stairs to 7-C. "Here we are. Home sweet apartment," she smiled a little as she opened the door, letting him in.

"It's kinda nice," Kukai grinned, looking around. "Can I just put this down wherever or what?"

"Give it to me," Sakura said, holding out her hand and taking the bag, hanging it on a peg before walking to the kitchen with her flowers. "I'm just gonna look for a vase, and then we can go."

"Okay," Kukai agreed, his voice sounding slightly more nervous than before. The young girl found a vase-like pot and filled it with water, placing the flowers inside and leaving it in the sink.

"What is it?" she asked as she walked out of the kitchen, seeing Kukai standing nervously near the door, unsure of why he hadn't come inside and dropped himself on the sofa. Then she remembered that Kukai was _very_ different to Ikuto.

"I've just never been here before, not to mention alone in an apartment with just me and a girl," he admitted with a blush, shuffling his feet but making no move to come further into her apartment. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked to him, nervously taking his arm, shakily leading the boy to her sofa.

"Just sit – I'll be back in a second. I have to check on my mail," she smiled a little as she left the apartment to talk to her landlord. Kukai sat on the sofa, drumming his fingertips against his knee for a few seconds.

"Kukai!" called Daichi to him. Kukai looked up at his Chara and saw the small version of what he wanted to be floating between two photos. Getting up, and making sure that Sakura's Charas were still in the kitchen putting water in the clear vase Sakura had found, he walked to Daichi.

"Wow, she's pretty," Kukai blushed as he looked at what seemed to be a wedding photo. There was a woman that looked just like an older version of Sakura standing in a beautiful wedding dress, a flag he didn't recognise behind her, while next to her was a man in a suit, the Japanese flag behind him as the two flags seemed to be joined. He had dark brown hair and onyx-coloured eyes, as well as lightly tanned skin and a cheerful face.

"This must be her parents," Daichi nodded before he floated to the other picture, his eyes saddening. "Her Mama's not in this one, though," he noticed with a frown. Kukai looked over and shrugged, seeing an older-looking version of the man from the wedding photo and what looked to be a five-year-old Sakura with no front teeth and cropped pink hair. Both were smiling, though their smiles seemed slightly strained.

"Maybe she was taking the picture," he muttered, though he knew better. The Yin Joker had mentioned that her mother had died, but she never said how young she was when it happened. Either her mother really was taking the picture, or the woman had died when Sakura was around five, or younger.

"Saku-chan's mother died when Saku-chan was four," Setsuko's soft voice sounded from the kitchen door. She was floating in the air while Katsumi and Mari were still paying all their attention to the bouquet of pretty flowers.

"Really?" asked Kukai in shocked, looking back to the picture. It was now obvious why Sakura and her father looked so upset.

"The real reason why Saku-chan didn't tell anyone about her birthday had nothing to do with Nadeshiko-san leaving," the blue Chara continued. "Though she may have believed she was going to tell you all, she was looking for an excuse not to celebrate all day."

"Why would she do that?" Kukai questioned curiously. "And how do you know, anyway?"

"I have inherited Saku-chan's more delicate emotions, Kukai-san," Setsuko sighed, settling her body down on his shoulder. "There are often times when she wants nothing more than to cry and have someone comfort her, but she has grown in such a way that she believes she must always be strong for those around her. Having Yaya-san close to her only reinforced this belief, as Yaya-san needs constant care and comforting for the smallest of reasons."

"I...I suppose," he nodded.

"But that still doesn't explain why she didn't want anyone to know about her birthday, Setsuko," Daichi cut in, pointing a finger at her.

"It is rude to point, Daichi-san," Setsuko told him curtly. The motherly scolding seemed to affect Daichi, and he turned pink as he lowered his arm. "Besides, I was getting to that. The reason she does not wish to celebrate her birthday is because –"

"– my mother died on my fourth birthday," Sakura's voice cut in from the doorway. Kukai, Daichi and Setsuko looked round in shock and the blue Chara gained a guilty look.

"I apologise for telling them these things, Saku-chan," she said, a veil of guilt over her usual tone. "However, I did believe they were trust worthy enough to know."

"I understand your reasons, Setsuko, but that doesn't excuse them," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Whatever, it doesn't even matter anymore. That was a long time ago."

"Saku-chan..." Setsuko muttered, her eyes filling with tears as she looked away and Sakura approached them.

"That flag behind my mother is the Irish Flag," she smiled. "My Mama was from Ireland, so I guess that makes me half-Irish. She met my Papa when he travelled to Ireland to visit the Chester Beatty Library and, of course, the Guinness Storehouse, both in Dublin. My mother was going to Dublin from her home in Armagh, but I can't remember why."

"Half-Irish, huh?" mused Kukai with a smile. "You get your eyes and stuff from her, right?"

"It's pretty obvious," she shrugged. "Come on, we'll be late. My landlord's coming up soon to check on the apartment and he said that I'm not allowed to have a boy up here for more than five minutes. He doesn't trust me at all...or, it could be just you."

"O-Oh, right," Kukai blushed, following her out.

"Katsumi, Mari!" called Sakura, her Charas appearing from the kitchen. "We're leaving. Come on," she smiled as her Charas nodded, floating towards her, Kukai, Daichi and Setsuko.

{-}

Sakura walked home slowly at the end of the day, sighing. Kukai had promised not to tell anyone about her birthday or, if they found out, why she didn't tell them about it. She smiled a little, remembering how he had gone around the school, running sometimes, to avoid Yaya, who was pestering him about why he and Sakura were both late that morning.

Entering her apartment, Sakura dropped her bag to the floor, hanging up her blazer and tie and kicking off her shoes, also pulling off her hat, leaving it on the stand in the hall. Too tired to get changed, Sakura watched her Charas float to their eggs and she stumbled into the living room, letting herself fall on the sofa, not expecting it to grunt. Other than the noise, there was something else wrong with her usually comfortable sofa – it was very lumpy.

"Hey, get off me," her sofa complained, sounding an awful lot like...

"Ikuto!" yelped Sakura, jumping off of her sofa and landing on the floor, rubbing her head. She looked around, seeing her home was still neat. It seemed as though he had just come in, kicked off his shoes – how she hadn't noticed them, she would never know – and dropped onto her sofa, just as she had.

"Enjoying the company, Stalker?" he smirked, pointing to himself as she rolled her eyes, scoffing. Sakura walked into her kitchen and pulled the vase of flowers Kukai gave her out of the sink, where they had been sitting all day, and put them in the centre of her coffee table. "Who got you those?"

"Soma-sempai gave them to me this morning," she told him with a small smile, arranging the flowers. "It was really sweet of him."

"So, since I got you a gift as well, am I just as sweet?" Ikuto pondered. "No, I think I deserve to be 'sweeter'. After all, I put up with your stalking, don't I?" he chuckled. "Not to mention Amu's whining," he added, but at this, Sakura froze.

"_Whenever I'm around Ikuto, my heart races," admitted Amu./_

"Hinamori, huh?" she scoffed, leaving the flowers as they were and walking to her room, changing into a pair of blue cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. Ikuto had been waiting for her at her bedroom door and stared down at her as soon as she came out.

"What now?" he asked as he followed her back to the living room, confused as to why she was suddenly acting cold towards him. Sakura placed herself down on her sofa heavily – or, at least, as heavily as she could – and crossed her arms, putting her feet up to stop Ikuto from sitting. The plan backfired when he just picked her up, sat down, and placed her on his lap.

"Hey!" Sakura growled, punching him solidly in the chest. She noticed that Yoru wasn't with him, but after hearing Mari's angry yell from the other room, followed by Katsumi's giggle and Setsuko light sigh, she knew exactly where he was. "Ikuto!" she yelled, "Put me down!"

"You are down," he muttered. "Now, tell me why you're suddenly so angry with me."

"I'm not," Sakura denied, crossing her arms and pouting. Ikuto took her chin and forced her to look at him before rolling his eyes.

"Of course not; it just seems that when I said 'Amu' you...You're doing it again, Sakura," he noticed, a smirk slowly forming on his face. "Oh, I get it," he nodded in amusement. "You're jealous."

"I am not!" she shrieked, ignoring the people living below her banging on their ceilings and telling her to keep it down. "How dare you even suggest something like that, you no good, lazy, freeloader!"

"You know, you're the only one who doesn't call me a 'cat' when insulting me, or something along those lines, at least," he noticed with a hum, pressing his cheek against hers.

"That's because it wouldn't be an insult," Sakura sighed, looking away.

"Are you sure you don't just have a crush on me?" he smirked, burying his face in her hair.

"Not a chance," Sakura scoffed, leaning away but ultimately giving up. She hated how easily Ikuto could defuse her – heck, she hadn't even said anything and he somehow knew that she didn't hate him anymore.

"Hey, where's my dinner, anyway?" he asked her, picking his head up and smirking at her when she glared.

"Stupid teenager," she murmured. "I'm not your mother."

"More like my wife," he shrugged, jumping up when she moved to hit him, "Easy now, Saku-koi!" he laughed loudly.

"I – hate – you!"

{-}

A week had passed and Sakura was on her way to school, Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari all floating in front of her. The following day would be the last day Kukai attended their school – he would graduate and a new Jack's Chair would be appointed, as well as a new Queen's Chair to replace Nadeshiko. When she got to school, she placed down her bag and looked around the main hall, seeing Tadase and Yaya helping to set up while Kukai relaxed and Amu was nowhere to be seen.

"Over there!" Yaya yelled suddenly, pointing to Kukai. He looked up, seemingly shocked by her outburst.

"But I'm graduating," he excused and Sakura immediately knew that Yaya was complaining about having to set up. Sighing slightly, she stepped forwards to help a small group of First Graders with a tall stack of chairs when a sudden earthquake shocked her. She knew it was nothing more than a stampede of fangirls but, when they surrounded Kukai, she immediately got annoyed.

"Kukai-sama!" some yelled.

"Soma-sempai!" others cried.

"Soma-sempai, please give me a button off of your uniform to remember you by!" one of Amu's friends – Manami – requested with sparkling eyes.

"No! I asked first!" The other – Wakana – cut in, looking only at Kukai as he was further surrounded.

"Wait! Wait!" begged Kukai. "Wait a second!" he cried, unable to control them.

"I guess this is a job for me," Sakura sighed, stepping forwards. It had been discussed that Tadase would give Kukai a small box of spare buttons to hand out to the girls, but Sakura knew that it would still get out of hand. Fishing into her pocket she pulled out her secret weapon and blew hard.

"Argh!" the girls shrieked upon hearing the shrill whistle, their attention temporarily switching to Sakura as everyone ignored Saya's suggestion of holding an auction.

"Everyone please form an orderly line in front of Soma-sempai," she ordered, stepping closer to the girls as they shivered at the cold look in her eyes. "If you wish to have a button, remain patient and you shall get one. Any pushing or shoving shall result in confiscation of your button or, if you do not have one, you shall not receive one."

"Yes, Haruno-sama!" the girl cried, doing as they were told. Kukai, with a pile of black buttons in his hand, gave them out as the line got smaller, each girl walking away with her button in her hand and a smile on her face.

"See?" Tadase smiled as he approached Kukai, "Just as I predicted."

"Man, you really saved me," he grinned back, reaching out and pulling Sakura towards him. "And your whistle and queue idea saved me, too," he added, patting her on the head, wishing that she wasn't wearing her hat.

"Whatever," shrugged Sakura; she walked away as Saya approached him and also asked for a button.

{-}

"Nadeshiko-san's gone. Kukai-san graduates tomorrow," Setsuko sighed sadly as she, her sisters and her own wandered around the school grounds after the school day ended. Sakura glanced at her Chara and looked away, nodding.

"Yeah, I know," she stated. "I wonder if this is how everyone felt when I left Gakure Elementary."

"Hmm...Most likely," Katsumi nodded, patting Sakura on the cheek. "Don't worry, though. Just because you're no longer going to the same school, doesn't mean you won't see him."

"Take that freeloader and his stray, for instance," Mari smirked. "Ikuto's a _high school_ student and you still see him almost every day!"

"True," Sakura shrugged, smiling a little as she thought of Kukai acting like Ikuto and breaking into her apartment. "Then again, Soma-sempai and Ikuto are two _very_ different people. I just can't believe that this is the end of the Guardians."

"There'll be another Jack and another Queen next year," Katsumi told her, trying to get a smile on her owner's face.

"True, but the Queen won't be an undercover cross-dresser, and there will never be another Jack quite like Soma-sempai," she sighed, turning to her right and walking out of the school gates. As she walked through the park, she saw the Midori Ice Cream Parlour to her right, her boss standing outside.

"Ah! Haruno-chan!" he called to her, waving his arms. Sakura waved back and walked over to him, seeing his troubled face.

"What is it?" she asked respectfully, waiting for him to answer and not pushing it out of him. From behind her boss, she saw Naomi smirking. If Naomi was happy, that meant nothing good for Sakura. "If you're going to tell me bad news, I'd rather you just come out and say it, sir."

"Well, the thing is..." he paused, sighing. "I'm going to have to let you go, Haruno-chan."

"W-What?" asked Sakura in shock, praying that she had heard wrong. She had already lost her highest paying job, the last thing she needed was to lose the only job paying her bills. "Are you serious? Why?"

"You're twelve, Haruno-chan," he stated. "The law says that someone must be at least sixteen years of age to work and earn a wage. If I want to legally take my business further, I can't have a twelve-year-old working for me. Honestly, I would love to keep you hired – you're the best employee that I have – but...I'm sorry."

"It...It's okay. I get it," Sakura nodded, her eyes wide. "No worries, sir. Thank you for the job while I had it," she attempted to smile, but it didn't work. In a second, she was bowing her goodbyes and heading home again, her worried Charas surrounding her.

"Now we're down to one job?" Mari asked, looking at her owner. Sakura shook her head, stopping outside her apartment building and looking up at the window of her home fondly.

"I was fired from the job at the school a few days ago for the same reason," she told them. "Now...I'm broke and all alone," she shook her head, turning away from her home and heading in the direction of town, pulling off her hat and tucking it, as well as her tie and blazer, into her school bag.

"Saku-chan, I thought you wanted to go home," Setsuko pointed out as she and her sister obediently followed the girl. Sakura shook her head again and smiled a little.

"I need to calm down and clear my head," she told them. "Nothing does that better than the thick city air,"

{-}

"That didn't work at all," Sakura sighed as she and her Charas stood at the road crossing, on their way home. "I really thought that – Hey! Watch it!"

"S-Sorry!" a rushed voice called back and Sakura blinked.

"Hinamori?" she recognised, "Where is she running off to?" the girl wondered, moving to follow the other pinkette. "She looked kinda worried," she added, moving faster towards Amu, only to stop at an alley. "Ikuto," she gasped, seeing him bruised, beaten and bleeding on the ground as Amu knelt next to him. He was refusing her care completely, trying to move away.

"Ah! Haruno!" noticed Amu, moving aside. "I...I don't know what happened, I just –"

"It doesn't matter," Sakura growled, pushing Amu out of her way. She reached out towards Ikuto, half expecting him to move away, but he just looked at her expectantly.

"Well? Are you gonna help me or not, you creepy stalker," he scoffed in an amused tone, seeing Sakura scowl.

"Be quiet, freeloader," she retorted, pulling out her tie from her bag and tying it around his worst wound – a cut in his arm. "Well, you just make friends everywhere you go, don't you?"

"It's a gift," Ikuto hissed as she dabbed at the grazes on his cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Stay still, idiot," she warned him, holding his head in place.

"Be careful. Someone might think you care," he sighed, doing as he was told and remaining still for her as best he could. Amu, still standing in the alley and watching the exchange was shocked.

"Is...Is he okay?" she asked shakily, drawing all attention to her.

"He'll be fine, Hinamori," Sakura assured her softly. "You don't have to stick around, okay?"

"Umm...alright – if you're sure," Amu agreed, turning to leave with her three little Charas. When she was gone, Ikuto began to chuckle.

"You just couldn't wait to be alone with me, huh?" he mused, wincing when Sakura applied more pressure than needed to his cheek.

"Yeah, real smart; make fun of the person helping you," she glared, her hands becoming gentle again. He watched her for a moment, his fond gaze unnoticed by Sakura and her Charas, but Yoru saw it.

"Ouch!" he said suddenly, flinching away from her touch and Sakura froze, backing off a little.

"S-Sorry," she yelped, "Did I hurt you?" asked Sakura, moving in closer to look, just in case she had made his wound worse. As she moved in, Ikuto took hold of her wrist and placed his other hand gently on her cheek.

"Just kidding," he smirked, seeing her blush and frown at him. Suddenly, before Sakura could say anything in reply, Ikuto's expression weakened and he fell forwards, his head landing in her lap. Her eyes widened and she gulped, holding her hands up and away from him.

"I-Ikuto," she called, slowing lowering her hand to his shoulder and tapping him softly, trying to wake him up. "Ikuto," she said again, this time a little louder.

"No good, Saku-chan," Mari said, folding her arms. "He's out like a light in a power cut."

"Thank you for that insightful remark," Katsumi rolled her eyes, also folding her arms. Mari growled, but Setsuko quickly made peace between them.

"Oh, man," Sakura whispered, worried. "He must have lost a lot of blood," she realised, placing a cold hand on his head and stroking his hair soothingly, like her mother once did for her to calm her down after a nightmare. "Ikuto, please wake up," she cried, her heart stopping for a moment when his eyes opened suddenly, his eyelashes tickling her knees.

"Huh...You really _are_ worried about me," he smirked, getting up and draping his arms around her shoulders. "Lucky for you, cats heal fast."

"Unluckily for you, you're a human," Sakura returned, pushing his arms off of her. Ikuto sighed and took her hand gently, but firmly so that she could not pull back, pulling her through the alley. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"There's something I need to show you," he said, not turning to face her.

"Just, come along – nya!" Yoru grinned, pulling along a happy Katsumi and a reluctant Setsuko, leaving Mari to float just behind them, grumbling at the loss of her sisters to the 'evil' feline Chara.

{-}

After walking with Ikuto for a while, the teen offering a route with many walls to scale and trees to dodge, Sakura decided that Ikuto was most _defiantly_ a cat, in more ways than one. As this was the second time he had led her through an alley-cat trail, she knew not to argue and to just follow him, or she would end up lost or, as he once put it, 'a very tiny splat on the pavement'. The latter option was not appealing at all, and Sakura was unwilling to leave the injured teen alone.

"We're here," Ikuto said as he jumped down from a wall, turning to help Sakura, even if she said she could get down on her own. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the wall, placing her down on her feet.

"Alright, alright," she gave in, swatting his arms away. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around at the darkness. The lights suddenly turned on and Sakura's eyes widened in joy.

"When you flip the breaker, the power comes on for a bit," Ikuto explained calmly, looking down at her. Yoru grinned from the breaker, saluting her when she spotted him. She smiled a little when she saw that Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari had already floated towards their rides of choice – the merry-go-round for Katsumi, the teacups for Setsuko and a small rollercoaster for Mari.

"I had no idea there was an amusement park around here," Sakura admitted, looking up and meeting his eyes, both of them looking away a moment later.

"It's going to be torn down, soon," Ikuto told her, suddenly finding a tree covered with bright lights very interesting.

"That's too bad," Sakura said sadly, finding the pavement equally as interesting as Ikuto's tree. Her Charas approached her, their eyes glittering.

"Saku-chan!" they called. "We want to ride something!"

"Hmm...Okay. Sounds like fun!" Sakura nodded, smiling. "Do you want to come with us, Ikuto?"

"Really?" asked the cat-boy, his tone uninterested. Sakura picked up on his un-enthusiasm and rolled her eyes, running towards him.

"My turn to drag _you_ around," she grinned, pulling him towards the merry-go-round and sitting him on a white horse with pink reigns. "Fun, huh?" she asked cheekily as she sat on the horse beside him, allowing her Charas to share a horse in front of her, Yoru tagging along with them.

"Is it?" Ikuto asked, seeing through her smile. Sakura looked away and sighed, shrugging.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I think it is, but I have nothing to compare it to."

"Then don't compare it to anything," he cut in, reaching across and holding her chin, moving her head so she had to look at him. "Just do whatever you think is fun."

"...Right," Sakura grinned, suddenly motivated to do everything. When they were done on the merry-go-round, she dragged him over to the rollercoaster, making sure to sit with him in the second carriage, allowing the Charas to sit up front.

After that, Yoru challenged Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari to bumper cars, saying that he was on a team with Ikuto and they were teamed with Sakura, since there were more of them, but Ikuto was bigger. That annoyed Sakura and she made sure to beat the boys badly. Yoru tried to get her back by running ahead of her later on, only to run into a haunted house.

"Yoru!" called Sakura, running in and pulling him out before he was scared even further. She dropped him off in Ikuto's hands as she and her Charas ran towards the smack-a-mole game, Sakura teaming up with Mari while Katsumi and Setsuko took the other game.

When they were done – team Ka-Tsu-Ko winning by _a lot_ – they picked up Yoru again and made their way to the house of mirrors, Sakura tugging on Ikuto's sleeve to make him follow along. They each picked their mirror; Katsumi picked one that made her look like a normal human girl – strangely enough – Setsuko picked one that made her head look amazingly large, Mari chose one that made her look completely buff, Yoru picked one that made him look like broken glass – they later told him that the mirror was broken – and Sakura and Ikuto picked the only one left, which made them look conjoined.

They laughed as they made their way out – Ikuto choosing only to smirk in amusement – and Sakura once again made her way towards the merry-go-round, this time determined to have fun rather than to worry about her Charas doing what they wanted. Ikuto moved to sit on a bench and watch, worn out from being dragged around so much.

"I am glad Saku-chan is having so much fun," Setsuko smiled.

"Yeah; not bad, for her first amusement park, huh?" laughed Mari and Ikuto looked at her with wide eyes.

"First date was Dango; second date's an amusement park!" Katsumi giggled happily. "What's next?"

"She's never been to an amusement park before?" Ikuto asked, looking towards Sakura and seeing her happy smile. "I guess that would explain why she didn't really know what to do."

"Yep!" nodded Katsumi. "Saku-chan and her father travelled so much when she was younger that her Papa didn't have time to take her, and she couldn't go on her own."

"What about with friends – nya?" Yoru asked, remembering the pictures of her friends from her room. Her Charas looked away sadly, the question suddenly reminding them of their current state – Sakura being unemployed.

"Well, she never had the money to go," Mari explained. "And she didn't want to bother her Papa for anything that she didn't need, so she never went when her friends did."

"Hey, there's one ride I haven't tried yet!" Sakura called to them as she ran closer, take a hold of Ikuto's hand in both of her own. For some reason, seeing her eyes sparkling with excitement and a true smile on her face, Ikuto couldn't seem to say 'no' to her.

And that, my dear readers, is how he found himself squashed into a teacup with Sakura opposite him – their Charas spinning dangerously fast on another teacup near to them. Sakura couldn't help but stare at him, at how misplaced he was in the small ride. She bit her lip, but her laughter fell though and he glared at her slightly, sighing.

"What?" asked Ikuto; he was sure that he already knew what she was going to say.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just never thought I'd see you wedged into a ride when you're obviously too big for it."

"Don't make me stand you against the height restriction sign. Then we'll see who's _really_ out of place," he warned, looking away. Sakura shook her head, and leant forwards, crossing her arms on the wheel in the middle and resting her chin on it.

"There _is_ no height restriction for the teacups, Ikuto," she reminded him, not expecting him to smirk.

"No, but there is one for the rollercoaster," he chuckled, seeing her turn red when she remembered that she actually _wasn't_ tall enough for it, but Ikuto had made up for it by holding her into her seat at some points of the ride. She was grateful at the time, but knew in her heart that it would come back to haunt her – it had.

"How did you know about this place, anyway?" asked Sakura suddenly, jumping when the lights shut off and the ride stopped. Ikuto stood up and helped her out of the teacup, placing her down on the ground and leading her out of the amusement park, their Charas following.

"We used to come here as kids," he explained. Sakura let him continue, not questioning the use of 'we' rather than 'I'. "Soon, though...it'll be shut down completely...that'll be the end."

"Oh," Sakura nodded. "But, you know...this is my very first amusement park ever. So, for me, this one marked the very beginning, you know? In that way, this isn't an end at all," she smiled, missing the look on Ikuto's face – pure awe, which he soon disguised with a smirk.

"You say some weird things, for a kid," he sighed, knocking his fist gently on her head. As Sakura reached up to rub it, she grinned.

"You're staying at mine, tonight, by the way," she told him, leaving no room for arguments of any kind. "Don't even think for a second that this place distracted me enough to forget about your wounds. You can sleep on the spare futon, if you want."

"I guess," he shrugged. "But, you know, you don't need to worry about me all the time, Sakura. Worry about yourself, too."

"What do you mean?" she questioned, holding his arm as they walked towards her apartment.

"Just...Never mind. Where do you want to go for our third date, then?"

"Eh? Third?" she cried, "Wait! We never even went on a _first_ date!"

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, "_Sure_."

{-}

The day that everyone had both been dreading and looking forwards to came at long last. Soma Kukai – the only Jack's Chair they had known during their time as Guardians – was graduating. The ceremony in and of itself went off without a hitch. Tadase, as King's Chair, read the names of the graduates while the headmaster presented them with their diplomas. Only thirteen girls tried to throw themselves onto the stage after Kukai's name was read – far less than they expected. All was well.

Then they met in the Royal Garden.

"Soma-kun," Tadase said sadly as Kukai stood, with Daichi present at his side, grinning and tapping his diploma on his shoulder.

"Kukai!" whined Yaya, jumping on the, now ex-, Jack's Chair with crocodile tears floating in her eyes. "You can't graduate! Flunk a year!" she cried, hugging his arm as he smiled, used to her behaviour.

"Don't be ridiculous," he laughed a little as she went from crying to wailing, hitting him on the shoulder.

"You can't go! You can't!" she repeated, her arms flailing around.

"You were our oldest member," Tadase cut in, though Yaya continued. "I'll be lonely without you," he added, pulling a random picture of a grinning Kukai out from nowhere. "May I talk to this picture when I am troubled or uneasy?" he asked, his eyes watering.

"Just call me on the phone, like normal," he replied bluntly, a large sweat-drop falling down his head, "Hey! What're you doing?" he yelped when Yaya stole his diploma.

"Jeez; stupid thing!" she cried, trying to break it.

"Hey, give that back!" he yelled, reaching for it while she ran around the Royal Garden, making him chase after her. Sporty or not, he was no match for a Yaya with a mission. Sakura watched them sadly, looking away and walking to collect her bag as Kukai finally caught the youngest Guardian, snatching his diploma back off of her.

"Just leaving," Sakura muttered, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Who does he think he is to graduate before me?"

"S-Saku-chan..." her Chara said slowly, seeing that she wasn't angry at all, she just didn't want him to leave.

"Well, I guess it's time for goodbyes," Kukai nodded, standing in front of all of them again. Sakura stood next to Amu, her bag on her shoulder, and Kukai chuckled as he walked over to her. "I've gotten over the 'girl' thing now, so I don't want to say goodbye to anyone but the real you, Sakura," he said, stealing her hat from her head.

"H-Hey!" groaned Sakura, reaching for it as her hair tumbled down, falling in her eyes. She gave up eventually and shrank back, a gloomy look settling on her features. The girl didn't even seem to notice that he's called her by her first name for the first time.

"Now, now; what's with all the sad faces?" he asked, clearing his throat. "I spent all of last night settling my thoughts," the boy announced, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Got it? I am about to say something awesome so make sure you keep your ears open."

"Right," they all nodded, Yaya holding back another round of tears.

"Fujisaki and I are leaving," Kukai read, "but that doesn't mean it's over for the Guardians. Today will be...a new beginning!" he grinned, throwing his thumbs up and dropping his piece of paper to the ground. "Nothing's over until it's over, and this is _not_ over!"

"Yay!" agreed Daichi, grinning widely and copying Kukai's pose. The two stayed like that for a while until Sakura stepped forwards and picked up the piece of paper, looking at it.

"This is blank," she said bluntly, seeing both of them fall before Kukai got back up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Y-Yeah, well...I couldn't think of how to put it into words, so I was hoping it would just come to me," he admitted, a nervous grin on his face.

"I...I'll miss ya," Sakura smiled a little and jumped forwards, hugging the confused boy around the neck before quickly letting go, stealing back her hat and rushing out of there.


	20. Don't Sit Beside Me

Chapter Twenty

Sakura sat under her namesake tree, drifting in and out of sleep. It was early in the morning and she had just discovered something she would rather not. You see, previously that morning, she was woken up by something in her bed – assuming it was nothing, she ignored it. That is, until it moved. Throwing back her covers, Sakura was shocked to see an egg, different in colour to the others, lying on her mattress.

It was dim yellow and had a tartan-pattern with a thick gold stripe around the middle and a bright sun on the front. Other than colour and the sun, it looked identical to Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari's eggs, so she naturally assumed that she had just received another Heart's Egg, meaning another noisy, nosey Shugo Chara floating around her head. The joy and pains she felt at this statement were nothing compared to the half hour of three already born Shugos joyously celebrating having another sister.

At this exact moment, she was leaning against the trunk of a Sakura tree, allowing the petals to fall in her long, loose hair. After meeting Nagihiko, Nadeshiko's 'older twin brother', Sakura had gotten an idea. Rather than going back to school as a boy, or even revealing herself as a girl, she would go as Haruno Saku's younger twin sister, Haruno Sakura – both names taken from their grandmother, which was true, in a way.

As his 'twin', she would naturally take over his position in the Guardians when he left – they never lived together, though, so that was why she started school when he 'finished'. The rest she would leave up to rumours and such and, within a week, she would have at least seven different pasts and childhoods.

No, that was a complete lie.

While Sakura had considered this option, she also considered that many people might try to approach her about her 'brother' and that was something she didn't want to get too far into. So, instead of being her own twin, she was just going to tell the truth. There was also the choice of going back with a _fake_ name, but that was also not too attractive.

Besides, perhaps people would stop calling her 'Cool and Mysterious' if they discovered that _she_ had been masquerading as a _boy_ for the past year. That would most _defiantly_ drive them away. Add to that the fact that she was now a Sixth Grader and... The situation doesn't really change. However, she loved picturing the looks on Tadase, Yaya and Amu's faces when they saw her in a red skirt.

When she got to school, she saw a large crowd around the board. People whispered when they saw her, word already getting around that she was actually Haruno Saku_ra_, and not, in fact, a boy at all. Sakura moved towards the class list and smiled when she spotted her actual name, reading from the Moon Class list. She scanned over the names of her classmates and frowned when she saw that Amu and Tadase – the only other Sixth Graders she got along with – where in Star Class instead.

Sighing slightly, Sakura turned around to walk towards the classroom she would be in for the rest of the year, smiling at her Charas. They floated around her, teasing each other playfully and chattering about how fun it was going to be that year. When Sakura reached her classroom, she heard much talking from inside and assumed that most people were already there, so she just slid open the door.

Chaos ensued.

"Cute!" half the class shrieked, while the other half were either too shocked or dazed to move. Sakura blinked once and turned, just to see if there was anyone behind her, before turning back and pointing to herself.

"Are you talking about me?" she asked obliviously, causing the class to nod in union, all trying to contain themselves. With a short sigh, Sakura walked through the class to seat at the back, closest to the window, wishing that the class would stop staring at her.

"Is that Haruno Saku?"

"No, no! It's _Sakura_! She was just pretending to be a boy!"

"That's so cool! She had us all fooled!"

"Why would she do that, though?"

"Who cares? She's so cute!"

"Here we go," Sakura groaned quietly, rubbing her forehead and staring out of the window as their homeroom teacher walked in, greeting them all and welcoming them back as older, more mature students. "Not likely," she muttered before raising her hand when her name was called on the register.

"Ah, yes. Haruno Sakura," the teacher nodded, "Known all through Fifth Grade as Haruno Saku; quite a clever trick, Haruno-san."

"Yes, it was a trick!"

"She's just too smart for us!"

"I don't care! She's so cute!"

'_I'm going to kill whoever keeps calling me cute,'_ Sakura growled mentally, looking towards her Charas. "Find him," she said, knowing from the voice that it was a boy. Her Charas just laughed at her and as their sensei began to go over classroom conduct, the door slid open again.

"See? I told you!" some younger voices said happily and Sakura felt even more stares being directed towards her. Looking at the door, she flinched when she saw a small group of last-year's Second Graders, now in Third Grade.

"Wow! She's even cuter than the new transfer student!" a random Fourth Grader squealed as she walked past. Sakura sighed again and looked away while their sensei closed the door, telling everyone to get to class.

"Well, now. Let us begin,"

{-}

"N-Nikaidou-sensei...what's wrong?" Amu stuttered when she saw Nikaidou's sad, tearful face. He looked up and sniffed.

"Sakura-san's in Moon Class," he stated, "so now I'm stuck with a class full of idiots!"

"Hey!" the class yelled indignantly.

{-}

The first day is always the most painful. Sakura had to constantly remind herself of this as she sat in the class through her lessons, the stares of her classmates nearing unbearable as the day went on. Finally, though, it was over and she was heading towards the first Guardian's meeting of the year when she twitched, feeling a dark presence.

"X-Egg," she muttered. "Why now?" the girl added with a groan, turning to Katsumi.

"Got it!" the red Chara smiled, winking.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, moving her hands in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair floated close to her knees, flowing around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose. Sakura ran towards where she felt the energy in just enough time to dodge a Hear Rod.

"Hey! Hinamori!" she growled as Amu caught the rod.

"Ah, sorry, Yaya, Haruno," she apologised, her face worried. "I can't seem to get it, though," she added, looking at her Heart Rod and then back to the X-Egg.

"Hmm," Sakura hummed. "Leave it to me," she smiled, jumping up as high as she could. "Heart Kusari Gama!" yelled Sakura, a single red Kama sickle, with a length of weighted chain attached behind the head appeared in her hands as she flipped over the egg, "Yuiki-san! Lift your rattle!"

"O-Okay!" agreed Yaya, lifting her giant rattle quickly, with Pepe's help. Sakura concentrated hard and moved her sickle, sending a slash towards Yaya; she then swung the weighted chain and bounced it off of the ground, redirecting the slash and the chain to pick up Yaya's rattle and hit the X-Egg with it.

"Yes," Sakura said, catching the egg as it was pushed towards her, grabbing Yaya's rattle before it could hit the ground and break. She fell to the ground, placing down the giant rattle and holding the struggling egg above her head.

"Go, Saku-chi!" Yaya celebrated, collecting her rattle and ending her Chara-Change with Pepe.

"Now, Hinamori!" called Sakura, feeling her grip loosen on the egg.

"Oh, okay!" Amu nodded, placing her hands in a heart shape in front of her, focusing on the egg. "Negative Heart: Lock on! Open Heart!" she called, turning the X-Egg back to normal. With a relieved sigh, Sakura let the egg go back to its owner.

"That was so cool!" Yaya cheered. "I even got to help!" she added happily, hugging Sakura as she turned back to normal.

"Hinamori-san, Yuiki-san, Haruno-san!" called Tadase as he ran towards the girls, having seen what happened. "Are you okay?" he asked, checking each of them. When he moved to Sakura, she turned away from him, backing off a little.

"I'm fine," she assured everyone, hiding her hands. They ached a little from having to hold on to the dark energy of the X-Egg, but she wasn't about to tell them that. "Anyway, shouldn't we head over to the Royal Garden, now?"

"Yes!" Yaya yelled, throwing her first in the air. "Oh, and by the way, Saku-chi; I'm really glad you came to school as a girl, this year! I forgot just how long your hair was!"

"It's just below your hips now – dechu!" Pepe cut in and Sakura blinked, tugging at a long strand of hair.

"Hmm, I suppose it is," she shrugged, remembering that she needed to get a haircut.

"You do look good in the girl's uniform, Haruno," Amu winked, placing a hand on the much smaller girl's shoulder. "And I'm glad, too. This means that a certain new student won't be getting all of the boys' attention for long."

"Funny," Sakura mused as she walked past a mostly silent Tadase. "That's the exact same thing another girl from your class said to me."

"Where's the Sun Egg?" Katsumi whispered to Setsuko and Mari.

"In her bag," Mari said back, patting the satchel happily.

"I cannot believe that Mari will no longer be the youngest," Setsuko gasped, placing her hands to her mouth. Mari just grumbled about how she was mistreated by her older sisters.

"Hey, Tadase!" called Yaya happily. "Who're the new Jack and Queen going to be?"

"There will be _no_ new Jack's Chair," Sakura muttered, but everyone heard her.

"What do you mean, Haruno-san?" Tadase asked, his aura sparkling. "We shall need new members to complete the Guardians."

"No," she said stubbornly. "There will be someone to sit in the chair, but Kukai is the only Jack," the girl added, a blush on her cheeks. Amu smiled a little at her statement, but no one commented.

"Hmm, that being the case or not, you'll have to wait for the tea party at the Royal Garden to meet them properly," Tadase shrugged a little, his innocent smile placed perfectly over his face as Yaya pouted.

"Meanie!" she declared. "Can't you tell me now?"

"The wait is part of the fun," he assured her.

"I don't know what that means," both Yaya and Sakura said, staring at each other for a moment before Yaya began to laugh.

"You see?" she grinned. "Saku-chi's cute no matter what; especially when she's confused or being stubborn."

"I am not stubborn," Sakura pouted stubbornly, crossing her arms and frowning a little while Yaya laughed again, Tadase laughing with her and Amu trying to cover her giggles. Just before they got to the Royal Garden, Amu stopped.

"Huh? Amu-chi?" asked Yaya, all three turning to look at her. Amu forced a smile.

"O-Oh, I think I left something back in the classroom," she lied. "You go on without me," she said, turning to run back to the school. Sakura sighed.

"You go," Sakura told them. "This is Special Joker Mission," the girl added, turning and running after Amu, seeing her pink hair in front of her. There were tears on the ground and Sakura blinked, unsure of why Amu was crying. "Hey, wait, Hinamori!"

"Haruno?" asked Amu, turning around, but not paying attention to what she was doing. She ended up tripping over her own feet, landing on her butt with a pained yelp.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, crouching down in front of her, her hair falling over her shoulder. Amu's tearful eyes widened at the sight of her cuteness before she shook it out of her mind, standing again.

"Don't worry about me! I'm fine!" she assured, her Outer Character coming out to handle the situation.

"I can tell when you're lying, Hinamori," Sakura told her bluntly, seeing Amu sigh and slouch. "This is about Kukai and Fujisaki-san, right?" she asked, seeing Amu's shocked face. "I understand how you feel. While I didn't know Fujisaki-san as well as you did, I too cannot accept that both she and Kukai have gone and that we will be getting new members. It just doesn't seem fair to replace them."

"I know what you mean," Amu nodded as the girls began to walk towards Amu's classroom. Sakura got an idea and turned to Amu suddenly.

"You were running before," she said.

"So?" the taller girl questioned, tilting her head. "What does that have to do with anything? Hey, wait up, Haruno!"

"Catch me if you can!" Sakura laughed, running faster. Amu ran after her, trying to catch up, but running too slowly to catch the smaller, lighter and more agile of the two. They ran through the halls, passing many people, all of whom stopped to stare at the racing Jokers. Eventually, they came to a stop outside Sixth Grade Star Class.

"Man, you're fast!" Amu huffed, leaning over to catch her breath. Sakura, who was panting slightly, smiled.

"I like running," she offered as her excuse. "So, you left something here?"

"Oh?" Amu blinked, looking at the classroom door before laughing a little. "No, I didn't. That was just an excuse, really," she admitted.

"Okay! Let's announce the results!" a boy's voice yelled from inside the classroom, causing both girls to pause. Amu opened the door a little and they peaked in, seeing a group of boys crowded around the chalkboard at the front.

"Well, I can already guess how it's gonna turn out!" Another boy grinned, leaning on a desk.

"The girls in our class aren't that great, with a few exceptions," the first boy agreed, writing on the board. "Ta-Da!" he cheered. "Sixth Grade Star Class Cute Girl Ranking!" he announced, moving out of the way.

"Ranking?" gasped Amu, only to have her mouth covered a second later by Sakura, who growled.

"Way to be quiet," she hissed, pulling Amu away from the door.

"What is this? Those guys are disguising!" Amu wailed before quietening down, going to the door again and standing over Sakura as they both looked in.

"In first place we have..." he trailed off, moving aside, "Our lovely transfer student, Mashiro Rima-sama!"

"Who?" whispered Sakura, ignoring the boys as they went on about this 'Rima' person, "Is she the one I've been compared to all day?"

"Probably," Amu nodded.

"Hey, what about Hinamori Amu?" one boy asked out of nowhere. Amu stiffened, leaning in closer.

"Well, she ended up being surprisingly ordinary," the leader, or so he seemed, replied easily.

"She's getting along with all the other girls," another cut in.

"Yeah!" a third laughed, "How boring!"

"The whole 'lone wolf' thing was a lot cooler, but somehow she isn't like herself anymore," said the boy at the back. Amu froze, backing off as Sakura thought about what they said.

"I'd say you're _more_ like yourself, really," Sakura shrugged. "You just happen to be exceedingly plain," she added, not meaning any harm by what she said. Amu sighed and turned.

"I know that you're trying to cheer me up, so thanks," she smiled. "I just have to be on my own for a bit," the girl added, walking away with her Charas. The other pinkette was about to follow her, but took her words to heart and shook her head.

"Hey, what about Haruno Sakura?" one boy spoke up.

"Man, she's so cool!"

"Those guys in Moon Class are lucky to have her!"

"Should we rate her, too?"

"I don't even want to know," Sakura sighed, turning the other way and walking down the hall.

{-}

With a wide yawn, Sakura walked past her old place of work, her new Sun Egg in her hands. Smiling a little, Sakura traced the pattern of the egg, wondering what kind of Shugo Chara would be born from it. She sighed and turned around, watching her current Shugo Charas playing tag – Mari was winning by a lot and Setsuko was losing.

"Hey, you guys!" she called, waving her arm. "We need to go!"

"Okay!" they replied, floating towards her. Mari and Katsumi took the egg between them, smiling about their new sister, while Setsuko sat on Sakura's shoulder.

"I wonder who our new sister will be," she smiled happily, patting Sakura's cheek. The pinkette grinned.

"I can't wait for her to hatch," she gasped. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and turned, her eyes narrowing. "Hello, hag," she greeted, nodding her head politely. Utau growled and opened her mouth.

"Nightmare Lorelei!" she yelled, red energy winds rushing towards Sakura and knocking her golden egg out of Mari and Katsumi's grip. Sakura didn't see this happen and grinned.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting as usual in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her in unseen winds. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing them the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt while performing a curtsy.

"Rose Gunsen!"

"You're no match, kid," Utau stated, sending another flurry of energy at Sakura, only to shield her face when Sakura sent them back.

"Why are you even here?" she demanded.

"Stay away from Ikuto!" ordered the singer, her face angry. She sent another attack towards Sakura and the girl was hit back. When Sakura looked up again, Utau was gone.

"Strange old lady," she grumbled, ending her transformation.

"S-Saku-chan," Katsumi called out shakily. Sakura turned and saw the cracked egg, her eyes widening.

"No!" she yelled, running towards it. Her egg had landed on the ground hard, a crack forming around it. Sakura's eyes widened as she picked it up, being careful not to damage it further. She checked the egg all over, but it was no longer warm. Looking away, she cradled it in her arms, not sure of what to do. It all happened so suddenly; she hadn't even had the egg for a day.

"I...I'm so sorry, Saku-chan," Katsumi said, tears in her large red eyes as she looked at her distraught owner.

"M-Me too," Mari nodded approaching her. Sakura looked up at them, not even trying to smile, but with no blame on her face at all. She blinked and held the egg a little tighter.

"I don't blame you," she assured them. "Maybe...Maybe I can heal it!" she thought quickly, "Katsumi!"

"Of course!" the girl agreed quickly.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, transforming with her Chara.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Broken Egg – Target!" said Sakura out loud, her body beginning to glow as she rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the Egg, held by Setsuko and Mari, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the damaged Sun Egg.

It glowed pink for a second and floated in the air, the crack slowly mending, before the glow faded and the crack reappeared, larger than before. It fell from the sky, but this time Sakura was able to catch it. She stared desperately at her egg as Katsumi flew out of her, the girl returning to normal. She sighed, hugging the egg to her chest.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered.

{-}

Sakura and her Charas sat at home, staring at the broken egg intently as it sat, cold and unmoving, on the girl's bed. Half of her room was packed into boxes, as well as some of her living room, but her kitchen remained untouched, as did her bathroom. Since she could no longer pay her rent, her Landlord wanted her out by the end of the month – that gave her two weeks to find a new place to live.

"Please, please don't die," Sakura called soothingly to her egg, touching her fingertip to the top of it and finding it to be cold. "I need all the help I can get. I have no money, no home, and no family," as she spoke, her Charas' eyes filled with the tears Sakura herself refused to cry. "Please," she begged, closing her eyes. When she opened them, nothing had changed.

"Saku-chan, it's not your fault," Setsuko said, placing a calming hand on Sakura's head. The girl sighed, stroking the broken egg before getting up from the floor, walking out of her room, "Saku-chan?"

"I have no other choice," Sakura said to them, opening her bedroom door. "It's my only option."

{-}

"_Moving along, we will now announce this year's Guardian Members,"_ a girl stated as she stood at the podium on the stage. The students began muttering as she took her breath. _"King's Chair: Hotori Tadase-sama!"_ as she said this, Tadase, his cape freshly ironed, smiled.

"Kyaa!" squealed several of his fangirls.

"He's so cool!"

"Tadase-sama!" one girl cried.

"Hotori-sempai!" younger girls cheered.

"Hi there!" greeted Yaya as she skipped onto the stage, her cape on as usual, tied with a large bow at the front.

"_The Ace's Chair: Yuiki Yaya-sama!"_

"Yaya-chan!" celebrated her classmates.

"Awww!" cooed the younger children, "Go, Yaya-sempai!"

"Yay, Yaya-chan!" yelled the rest.

"_Yin Joker: Haruno Sakura-sama!_" the second the words passed her mouth, even the girl announcing their names squealed. The red, Royal Cape Sakura had been given went perfectly with her long hair, and her tiny form only made her look cuter.

"Sakura-sama!" screamed her newly found fans.

"Haruno-sempai!" her lowerclassmen shouted.

"So cute!" adored the rest.

"_Yang Joker: Hinamori Amu-sama!_" she announced as Amu came onto the stage, her cape on for a change. She looked slightly distracted, and not at all happy about wearing her cape.

"Amu-chan!" yelled Amu's army against the boys.

"W-What's this? Hinamori-sempai is wearing her cape!" gasped Amu's biggest fan in shock.

"I'm surprised you two wore your capes," Yaya grinned quietly, looking at the Jokers. Sakura shrugged and blinked uninterestedly, trying to ignore the new round of squealing.

"As a boy, I'm _'Cool and Mysterious'_," she sighed, "and as a girl, they think I'm _'Cool and Mysterious'_ as well, but this time they scream every time I walk into their sight."

"That's because you're so cute, Saku-chi!" cheered Yaya, encouraging a new round of squealing in the crowd as Sakura sighed heavily; her mind was on her broken egg. Mari and Katsumi had agreed to stay behind to watch it, just to see if there was any change.

"_And here are this year's new members,"_ she said, the students hushing as they focused all their attention on the stage. Two people walked out in Royal Capes, one boy and one girl. "_The new Jack's Chair: Sanjo Kairi-sama! The new Queen's Chair: Mashiro Rima-sama!_"

"That girl's a total doll!"

"The new Jack looks cool!"

Suddenly, the crowd split into two groups, girls and boys. The girls had head bands with 'Amu' written on them, while the boys' head bands had 'Rima' written across them. On Amu's side was only one boy, her 'biggest fan'.

"Rima – Rima!" yelled the boys.

"Amu – Amu!" the girls retorted.

Sakura blinked again and all attention when on her. The crowd froze and everyone disappeared, reappearing with Haori on. On the back of every Haori, in bright red on the back of the boys' blue Haori and in white on the back of the girls' red Haori, was the name 'Sakura'.

"We can all agree! Haruno Sakura-sama is great!" they all cheered. "However..."

"Loyalty to the Queen!" the boys cried.

"Death to fickle boys!" announced the girls.

"Why me?" sighed Sakura, placing her head in her hands as the announcer tried to quiet the students down. Deciding that her part in this was done, Sakura took off her cape, handing it to a startled Tadase, and walked down the steps to the stage and through the parted crowd. All of the students stopped, silent, as they watched her walk out of the room.

"She's so 'Cool and Mysterious'!"

"Setsuko, why does this happen to me?" Sakura asked again, watching her little blue Chara shrug. "New Guardians...the Queen's Chair seems pompous and there's _no way_ I'm accepting a new Jack."

"You must accept whatever happens, Saku-chan," Setsuko told her gently, floating by her side. Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"No way," she repeated. "He doesn't even look the part."

"You mean he doesn't look like Kukai-san," the blue Chara cut in with a smile, knowing she was right when Sakura didn't even try to deny it. "People come in all shapes and sizes; you know that, of course. We should not judge new Jack-san before we get to know him."

"I know," Sakura agreed as they stepped into the Royal Garden. The girl took her usual seat, placing her bag by the side of her chair and looking at the seat next to her. "I guess I won't be sitting next to Kukai ever again," she stated sadly, tapping the chair with her foot and sliding it across. "He can sit over there."

"Saku-chi, that's not very nice!"

"It is mean – dechu!" Pepe agreed with her owner. Sakura looked up and saw the other Guardians walking into the greenhouse-like building, Tadase and Yaya leading the way while the new Jack and new Queen followed, Amu walking at the back of the group.

"I'm not going to pretend to be nice, Yuiki-san," Sakura blinked, pushing the chair just a little further from her, letting it bump into the King's Chair. "You don't mind, right Hotori-san?"

"I think it would be best if we left the seats as they are, Haruno-san," he smiled slightly as Sakura pouted. When he got closer, he handed her cape back to her.

"Fine," she gave in, watching as Yaya pushed the chair back to its usual place, taking her seat next to the Queen's chair – which was on the other side of Sakura – with a hyper grin. Everyone else took their seats and Sakura stood up before the new Jack could sit down. "I'll make some tea," she muttered, walking to do the job that Nadeshiko used to do.

"Do we have any snacks, Saku-chi?" Yaya questioned slyly, leaning down to Sakura's back. "I smell...cookies and cakes!" she cheered, pulling the treats out of the Joker's bag.

"Hey; Yuiki-san, stop that!" Sakura frowned, taking her bag back as Yaya placed the snacks on the table in front of them. The pinkette walked back with the tea and six cups, placing them on the table and letting Yaya pass them around.

"So, let's start with introductions," Tadase suggested with a small smile. "I'm the King's Chair – Sixth Grade – Hotori Tadase," he announced, looking towards the new Queen. She took the hint.

"Queen's Chair – Sixth Grade – Mashiro Rima," she introduced, a Chara that looked a lot like a clown appearing from behind her shoulder.

"I'm her Shugo Chara, Kusukusu," the little Chara stated, leaning back with her hands behind her head, still floating in mid-air.

"Jack's Chair – Fourth Grade – Sanjo Kairi," The boy stated next, his Chara – looking a lot like a samurai – floating up.

"I am Musashi," he added, "Salutations to all."

"What does 'salutations' mean – dechu?" Pepe asked the other Charas, though turning to look at Kiseki.

"Don't ask me," he growled, turning away.

"It is a formal greeting akin to 'good health', usually used in letter writing as an opening or to address someone, but can also be used in speech," Setsuko informed the Charas, getting a surprised look from Musashi, who was used to having no one around – other than Kairi – who understood the way he spoke.

"What?" Yaya gasped, standing from her seat and leaning over the table. "You don't look like a Fourth Grader."

"Sanjo-kun is pretty tall," Tadase cut in, turning to look at Kairi.

"I used to be the youngest," both Yaya and Pepe whined, shaking their fists and pouting their lips at the boy while he regarded them coolly. "Now I'm not the smallest, _or_ the youngest. I'm gonna bully you!" she promised.

"Please go easy on me," said Kairi, barley any tone to his voice at all.

"H-Huh?" she murmured, "Okay," Yaya accepted, not really knowing what else to say as she backed away from him, sitting in her seat. Sakura stared at him with narrow eyes, frowning.

'_Nothing like Kukai at all,'_ she noticed, looking away.

"W-Well, anyway!" recovered Yaya, "I'm the Ace's Chair – Fifth Grade – Yuiki Yaya-chan!"

"Yin Joker – Sixth Grade – Haruno Sakura," Sakura told them quickly, not noticing Kairi's looks of surprise when he discovered that the tiny girl was two years older than he was.

"I must make a note of this," he muttered, pulling out a notebook and pen, pushing up his glasses.

"H-Huh?" stuttered Amu when everyone turned to her. "Oh, I'm the Yang Joker and I'm in Sixth Grade – Hinamori Amu."

"I am the leader, Kiseki," the King Chara said, bringing them back to the introductions. "My dream is World Domination," he added, speaking to the other Charas and leaving the humans to talk amongst themselves.

"Who made you the leader – dechu?" Pepe questioned, making Kusukusu laugh a little.

"I'm Suu!" Amu's green Chara announced with a smile. "Nice to meet you!" she added, pushing Kiseki out of the way. "She's Miki," she said, pointing to her sister. "There's also Ran, even though she's not here right now. We are all Amu-chan's Charas."

"Ah, I am profoundly grateful for the considerate explanation," Musashi bowed to the frilly Green Chara. Miki blushed, finding a new love to go with the rest of her collection.

"My name is Setsuko. My sisters, Katsumi and Mari, are not present at this time, but you shall meet them at a later date," Setsuko informed them with a curtsy, bowing her head. "We are Haruno Sakura's Shugo Charas. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Of course," Musashi bowed again while Kusukusu, once again, giggled.

"So, do you have anything to say as the new Queen, Mashiro-san?" Tadase asked politely, smiling at the girl.

"Can I leave now?" she asked. Amu stared at her in shock while Tadase froze in his position.

"We just got here!" Amu yelled at her.

"Tea," Rima ordered, holding out her cup.

"Yes, Rima-tan!" announced Yaya and the youngest girl did as she was told, filling the Queen's cup with tea.

"You even have a servant here, huh?" muttered Amu. Sakura watched the exchange with her frown increasing as Rima's placate face didn't change.

"Then, I'll start by explaining the Guardian's roles and activities," Tadase cut in, smiling nervously.

"Mashiro-san," Sakura called, her eyes hidden by her bangs. Rima looked over at her, blinking. Sakura looked up, a dark look on her face.

"Scary!" cried Yaya, backing off with Pepe – Tadase and Amu just froze.

"Yes?" asked Rima, blinking again. Sakura sighed and pointed towards the door.

"You may leave at any time, if you so wish," she began. "However, this offer only extends to you if you take him with you and never...ever return," she added, pointing her finger towards Kairi, whose eyes widened in shock at her blatantly insulting remark.

"Haruno-san, please, this is no time for this," Tadase frowned, scolding the girl lightly. Sakura glared at him and stood up, pulling her cape off of her lap and throwing it on the table.

"I was going to wait it out and see how this was going to work, but no," she growled, looking around. "The Guardians were bearable once, but with Kukai gone and a snotty brat sitting in Fujisaki-san's chair, I can't deal with this anymore," she scoffed, turning to leave with Setsuko.

"S-Saku-chi, wait!" called Yaya, her eyes filling with tears. "Where are you going?" she asked, sniffing. Sakura turned around, her face blank.

"You had no trouble finding a Queen and a Jack, correct? Find a new Yin Joker, as well. I quit."


	21. Stray or Domestic

Chapter Twenty One

Sakura sighed as she walked through the park after quitting the Guardians. They couldn't keep her any more, the blackmail plan that Yaya started had become useless now, since everyone knew she was a girl. She turned, seeing Setsuko's downcast expression and feeling a little guilt. She hadn't even thought of the effect it would have on her Charas if she quit.

"I'm sorry, Setsuko," she said, catching her Chara's attention.

"For what, Saku-chan?" asked Setsuko, blinking. Sakura smiled and turned away, freezing when she felt the presence on an X-Egg. "Do you feel that?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded. "Come on, Setsuko; Chara-Nari!"

"Alright," the blue Chara agreed.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting as usual in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her in unseen winds. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing them the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy.

"Over there!" Sakura yelled, pointing to the egg and running as fast as she could in the direction it flew. When she got there, she saw Amu in her uniform and, surprisingly enough, Rima transformed. "So, she can do a Chara-Nari, too?"

"Can she purify eggs, though?" Setsuko questioned from inside Sakura.

"Juggling Party!" called Rima, sending bowling pins towards the egg. Sakura watched in shock as the girl destroyed the X-Egg without a second thought, not even caring that she had just destroyed a child dream.

"Cold," Sakura growled as the girl turned back to the Yang Joker.

"You didn't even move. How stupid," she said to Amu, turning to face her. "Why don't you quit being the Joker?"

"I knew you weren't right for the Guardians. I am so glad I quit. No regrets, especially not now I've seen you destroy an egg," Sakura said, stepping forwards and seeing the looks of surprise on Amu and Rima's faces.

"What was I supposed to do?" Rima asked, though her voice showed that she didn't care in the slightest. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she looked towards the shattered egg shells.

"Broken X-Egg – Target!" said Sakura out loud, her body beginning to glow. She rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the broken egg, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the egg shells.

They watched as the egg shells glowed blue while the bits of egg shell began to move, rising up from the ground and piecing themselves back together to form an X-Egg again. When it was re-formed, the darkness of the egg began to peel away, revealing a cleansed heart's egg. It jumped a few times and circled Sakura before flying off to its owner.

"That is what you do, False Queen," Sakura scowled, Setsuko floating out of her as she returned to normal, "Hinamori!"

"Y-Yes!" replied Amu quickly, still shocked by her sudden appearance.

"Don't let anyone push you around," she stated. "You're the only Joker now."

"H-Haruno, why did you quit?" she asked, approaching the girl. Sakura backed away and shook her head.

"A number of reasons that would take too long to name," she smiled, turning and leaving the two girls behind.

{-}

"Can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked as Sakura approached her, her face set with determination. Gulping all of her concerns away, Sakura nodded and showed the woman a piece of paper.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," she stated. "I'm here to see Director Hoshina."

"Let me just call up to his office to see if he is available," she smiled pleasantly, picking up the phone and dialling.

"No, Saku-chan!" Setsuko pleaded, tugging on Sakura's jacket sleeve to get her attention. "I know that it's difficult for us right now, but you cannot join the enemy!"

"They're not my enemy any more, Setsuko," Sakura whispered, looking at her Chara with sad eyes. "I quit the Guardians, remember? If anything, I'm just making a new ally."

"Director Hoshina will see you now, Haruno-san," the woman smiled, putting the phone down. "His office is on the Twenty-Fifth floor. If you get lost, feel free to ask anyone for directions."

"Oh, thanks," Sakura nodded, heading towards the elevator.

{-}

"Here's the last of it," a gruff-sounding man announced as he put down another box. Sakura looked over to him and nodded.

"Right," she sighed, getting up from the ground and closing the door. She had just finished moving in to her new apartment – one owned by the company. It looked nothing like her old one, but wasn't much bigger. Luckily, though, it wasn't any smaller. With another sigh, the young girl picked up a box of posters and photographs and carried it to her new bedroom, not noticing when a photo slipped out.

After setting everything up as best she could, leaving most of her posters, as well as her world map, inside the box, Sakura walked out of her new bedroom and back into the hallway of her apartment. With another sigh, she began to set all of her kitchen stuff in her kitchen before moving onto the living room. The girl managed all of this and walked back into the hall, looking down when something caught her eyes.

"A photo?" she muttered, bending down and picking it up. Her eyes widened when she saw a simple picture of her mother, all by herself. "I forgot that I had this," she added, staring at it. Her mother's hair was knotted on top of her head with loose strands falling around her face. She was wearing a simple green sundress with yellow sandals and was smiling towards the camera. Another look told Sakura that her mother was pregnant at the time it was taken.

"Saku-chan, what's that?" asked Katsumi, settling herself onto Sakura's shoulders, "A photo of your Mama?"

"She was very beautiful, Saku-chan," Setsuko smiled. Mari flew forwards and noticed something on the back.

"What's on the back?" she asked loudly, pointing to it. Sakura blinked and turned it over.

_My darling Aki,_

_I know that my time in this world is ending soon. These few years have been the best of my life, and I only wish that I could know our beautiful little girl as much as you will._

_All my love forever,_

_Kathleen_

A small tear came to Sakura's eye as she clutched the photo tightly.

"Mama," she sniffed, holding it to her, hugging it as she had longed to embrace her mother all these years. Before any tears could escape her eye, Sakura wiped them away and walked into her bedroom, placing the picture on her night stand.

She then sat down on her new bed, slightly tired from the move, and yawned widely. With a final stretch, Sakura closed her eyes and took a small nap.

}-{

"_Mama, good morning!" four-year-old Sakura called happily to her bed-ridden mother on the morning of her birthday, "Mama?"_

"_Hello, my angel," her mother's weak voice sounded as she opened her hand for Sakura to hold. The girl did so and blinked, tilting her head._

"_Are you okay, Mama?" she asked innocently, smiling when her mother laughed a little._

"_I'm sorry that I'm going to miss you growing up," she rasped. "You're going to be so...beautiful," her words ended quickly and her hand fell limp around Sakura's smaller appendage._

"_Mama?" she questioned, shaking her mother's arm, "Mama, wake up!" Sakura called, tears in her eyes, "Papa, Mama won't wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"_

}-{

"Wake up! Saku-chan!" yelled Katsumi, extremely worried. Sakura was tossing and turning, her face contorted into a fearful expression as sweat made her hair cling to her forehead. Mari and Setsuko were trying to wake her up by shaking her shoulders while Katsumi called out to her. Nothing worked.

"Saku-chan, it will soon be time for school!" Setsuko stated, faltering when Sakura sat up, gasping. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears, which she quickly wiped away.

"Sorry, guys," Sakura muttered, standing quickly and running her hands through her hair. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and took a shaky breath, sighing out all of her worried.

"You okay, Saku-chan?" Mari questioned, floating closer. Sakura attempted to smile, but it looked more like a wince.

"I...I'm fine," she said, her words becoming a whisper as she opened her bedroom door and walked out into her apartment, getting herself ready for school. Her Charas looked on in worry as the four of them left the apartment, heading to school.

{-}

"I can't believe Saku-chi really quit," Yaya whined when Sakura didn't show up at the Guardian meeting. Her eye filled with false tears and she clutched to Amu sadly. "What if she never comes back?" she wailed.

"I'm sure she's fine, Yaya," Amu laughed nervously. "Anyway, did anyone else know that Mashiro-san can do a Chara-Nari?"

"Huh? Really?" chirped Yaya as she perked up. "Why didn't you tell me, Rima-tan?"

"You never asked," Rima shrugged, Kusukusu laughing. Yaya then declared that she was going to ask all sorts of questions, but Rima refused to answer them.

"So, that would make Mashiro-san the third person from the Guardians that can Chara-Nari," Tadase smiled. His words brought another bout of sadness onto Yaya as she remembered Sakura.

"Hey, Tadase!" she yelled. "Stop bringing up Saku-chi!" she complained, but stopped with wide eyes when she saw who had entered the Royal Garden. He walked to the table and placed his hand on Amu's head, causing everyone to turn to him.

"Yo!" Kukai greeted, grinning widely. He was in his new, middle school uniform.

"Kukai!" called Yaya loudly as she jumped on him. "Did you get kicked out of middle school?"

"Of course not, silly," he laughed, patting her head. "The middle school is only next door, you remember? I thought I'd stop by for a bit."

"Dachi's here, too!" Ran cheered as the Charas surrounded the Star Chara, him grinning as widely as his owner.

"So, what's all this talk of Sakura, huh?"

{-}

"Early," Sakura huffed as she wandered out of the school grounds.

"You are simply too used to going to school for the Guardian Meetings, Saku-chan," Setsuko reminded her as they settled themselves by the fountain in the park next to the school. Sakura sighed heavily and leaned back, looking up at the sky.

"I still can't believe my egg..." she trailed off, scowling. "It's just not fair."

"Saku-chan, it's alright," Katsumi soothed. "I'm sure –"

"Wait! Kukai!" the sudden yell made Sakura look up, seeing an angry middle school student standing in front of her. She tilted her head, spotting Amu panting behind him, but was forced to look at Kukai again when he leaned towards her.

"Denied!" the boy shouted to her; this caused Sakura to jump a little and Kukai reached out his hand, the one that wasn't holding Amu, to take a firm hold on her wrist. "I deny your request to quit the Guardians. We need a Yin Joker, and you're the only one for the part," Kukai explained, nodding at his own logic.

"You don't have the right to do that," Sakura cut in, snatching her wrist back from him. "I've quit and that's all there is to it," she added. Kukai stared at her for a moment before grinned.

"You're going to patrol with us," he decided, taking her wrist along and dragging her quickly with Amu.

"Just like old times, huh?" she muttered to the taller girl, who nodded in reply with a nervous grin. They pulled to a stop and Sakura sighed, listening as Kukai guessed exactly what was wrong with Amu. The girl then began to cry, so he offered to buy them all ice cream.

Sakura grinned. Free ice cream was always acceptable.

{-}

The three of them sat on a park bench, eating their ice cream happily. Amu had gotten a double scoop of mango and strawberry while Kukai was eating mint and vanilla. As Amu told Kukai everything that she was worrying about, Sakura was happily eating her double scoop of chocolate and toffee. The Charas were next to her, Mari and Daichi holding an ice cream cone while the other Charas ate the double scoop on top.

"And that's why you've lost confidence in being the Joker?" Kukai questioned when Amu had finished her tale of woe. Sakura blinked, finding it all rather stupid to begin with. Amu froze when Rima had transformed into Clown Drop, therefore it was her own fault that she was made to feel inadequate.

"I guess I wasn't being myself," Amu confessed as Kukai turned to look at her and Sakura paused, looking away. "But I don't know what being myself even means anymore. My true character..."

"Dummy," Kukai sighed, tapping his ice cream onto her cheek, listening as she shrieked about how cold it was. "I don't know what being myself really means, either," he admitted.

"Really?" asked Amu hopefully.

"Sure," he nodded, looking up at the sky. "I'm struggling right now to decide whether I want to join the Soccer Team or the Basketball Team."

"Oh, that's all?" Amu sighed, unimpressed by his own problem.

"Basketball," Sakura stated quietly. "There's a community Soccer Team you could join out of school. One solution to your problem," she added, seeing his face fall as his only argument was solved. "Either way, it's better to not know who you really are."

"What do you mean?" blinked Amu, not understanding.

"It's more exciting that way!" Kukai cut in.

"And it also means that you are free to do whatever you want, without being tied down by what is expected of you and what you expect of yourself," the small girl added, licking her ice cream again. "After all, does anyone really know everything about themselves?"

"I...I guess," Amu nodded, taking in what they were saying in awe.

"Truth is, Daichi was born when I was feeling this way," Kukai smiled, remembering the day he met his Chara for the first time.

"So, it's okay to hesitate? To not understand myself?" she questioned.

"Sure thing!" grinned Kukai, giving her a thumbs-up as Amu smiled.

"How nice," mutter Sakura, rolling her eyes and licking her frozen treat. The smaller pinkette froze suddenly when a butterfly made of red energy flew their way, disappearing as a strong wind blew their Charas and their ice cream away.

"My ice cream!" yelled Kukai, running after it.

"I found you," a girl's voice sounded. The two pinkettes looked towards where it came from, seeing Hoshina Utau standing on the path, bat wings on her back and a Chara by her side.

"Utau-chan!" a happy Angel Chara called from Amu's side and Sakura blinked, wondering why she hadn't noticed it before. Sakura's Charas flew to her side and Kukai stood behind the girls, watching the events take place. "Utau-chan, you've come for me, haven't you?" The Chara continued gleefully.

"El," Utau acknowledged. "I was wondering where you'd gone. You became Amu's Shugo Chara?"

"Enemy – enemy!" the other Chara chanted.

"Sad!" whined El.

"I-It isn't like that!" denied Amu, but Utau looked as though she didn't care either way.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "I have another Shugo Chara, after all," she smirked, holding up a Diamond Egg with a white 'X' on it. Amu looked shocked when she saw it.

"Dia!" she called. "That's _my_ Shugo Chara!"

"Yours?" asked Utau mockingly, "Aren't you mistaken?" she added, her voice filled with unhidden amusement. The girl let it go and the egg floated around her, not going to Amu. "You see? It's staying by my side."

"Dia!" yelled Amu again, hoping that her egg would come to her.

"It appears she doesn't accept you as her owner," Utau grinned, "That's why she left you." As she said this, a crowd of X-Egg appeared around her. Sakura blinked, turning to Mari, who nodded.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura called, holding her hands in front of her heart and twisting them. Mari flew towards her, punching her fist into her palm as her egg closed around her and she flew into Sakura.

Sakura's whole form was covered with green light and her hair fell just below her hips and floated around her. Light formed around her torso, and she brushed it off and leaving behind a green, cross-strapped top that tied at the back on her neck with darker green patches all over it. Green sparkling light wrapped around her lower half and she brushed that away too, leaving her in a pair of darker green, khaki shorts that folded at her thighs. Her knees and down then got covered in light and she kicked her feet, throwing off the sparkles and leaving knee-length rainbow socks and green leather boots.

As soon as that happed, she ran her hands over her arms from her elbows down, leaving green arm socks of differently shaded stripes, as well as three green bangles on each wrist. She punched her fists in the air as a cord formed through green light around her neck, leaving a green compass hanging there, and green and yellowed swirled goggles, in the same style as Mari's, appeared on her eyes, which she pulled down to her neck. Her hair pulled itself up into long ponytails on either side of her head and a green headband appeared in her hair. She blinked when a large, green and yellow swirl attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Fighter!" she and Mari called at the same time, punching to her left, kicking to her right and then finally falling to the ground with her tongue stuck out.

The eggs rushed towards Amu after Utau had set out the terms for their fight – Amu's wins, she gets Dia; Utau wins, she gets the Humpty Lock. For some reason, any suggestion that someone other than Amu had the lock pushed Sakura into a defensive state as she blocked the oncoming eggs with her green Tonfa and pushed Amu towards Kukai, who moved her to safety on his skateboard after he had Chara-Changed with Daichi.

"Stay out of this, Haruno Sakura," Utau scowled. Sakura's eyes narrowed too before she recalled what Utau said about the Lock – she wanted it so that she could have something to match Ikuto's key.

"You know, while Hinamori has the lock, I'd say that I'm closer to Ikuto," she smirked, seeing Utau's eyes widen in shock. "After all, he sneaks into my home every so often and eats food that I prepare for him. He even played the violin for me on my birthday."

"No way," whispered Utau, backing off before her eyes became hardened, her fists clenching. She bit hard on her lip and glared at the younger girl, stepping forwards. "Then you are my enemy. The wager is the same – as we have nothing to offer each other. You'd better fight hard for Amu, huh?"

"I fight for no one but myself," Sakura grinned, holding her Tonfa defensively as she ran towards Utau, hitting away all X-Eggs that came towards her, but unable to protect herself against the winds that pushed her back.

"Gotcha!" stated Kukai as he caught her before she could hit the ground, carrying her back to where he had put Amu. Sakura looked towards Amu and saw the shock on her face before looking back to Kukai, seeing jealousy in his eyes.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Is all that true?" Amu asked. "What you said about Ikuto?"

"Well, no," Sakura admitted, not seeing the relief on Kukai's face. "He played violin for me the day _after_ my birthday, but I didn't think it was that significant."

"Hmph," Kukai huffed, crossing his arms. "What're we gonna do about her, huh?" he questioned, nodding towards Utau. Sakura glared.

"I'll take care of her. You two focus on the X-Eggs," she told them, ignoring their protests, but the Angel Chara flew in front of her.

"No! I will not let you attack Utau-chan!" she rejected, frowning. Sakura blinked and ignored her, walking past the Chara, "So cold!"

"Hoshina-obaasan," Sakura called loudly, causing Utau to twitch.

"I am _not_ an old lady!" she growled. Sakura laughed at the twisted look on her face and Utau calmed. "I like to compete, Sakura. Victory and defeat are what make people shine and improve. That's why I don't need El. It doesn't matter if she's kind when she's weak. I only need Il and Dia."

"Utau-chan," El wailed, hearing what her owner had to say about her. Sakura scowled.

"I need all of my Chara's for all of their traits," Sakura replied, clenching her fists and taking a step towards Utau, "Katsumi's confidence, but also her rather short temper – Setsuko's grace, but also her naïvety – Mari's strength, but also her rashness."

"That's ridiculous," Utau scoffed.

"No, it's not!" Sakura cut in before she could continue. "They are all Charas born from my heart, what I want to be. Deep down, you know that there's a part of you that wants to be what El is, just as much as you want to be what Il is. That's the reason Dia doesn't belong with you – if she was supposed to be you're Chara, she wouldn't have been born from what Hinamori wanted to be!"

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Utau called, ignoring Sakura as she transformed with Il. "Chara Nari: Lunatic Charm. Nightmare Lorelei!" she announced, her attack sending red energy bats towards the three opposing her. One hit Sakura and Mari was thrown out of her, being pushed back with her other Charas.

"Mari, No!" Sakura called.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Utau taunted. "Have you given up on getting Dia back already? If not, fight me!"

"You shouldn't fight!" Amu called, shielding herself from the attack. She was thrown back and landed hard on her shoulder; Sakura ran over to her, looking for her Charas but couldn't see them.

"How foolish," Utau smirked, looking at the pinkettes. "Shouldn't fight? If you think like that, never standing up for what you want and never trying to outrank others, you'll end up being beaten down,"

"I agree," Kukai smiled, shocking everyone. "I kinda agree with that last part, at least," he added to clarify. "Sport is all about ranks, and improving yourself through beating others,"

"You get the idea," Utau nodded.

"You think?" he grinned. Sakura blinked and sighed, shaking her head when she realised that Kukai had just gain the 'Utau Seal of Approval' without even knowing it. She then paused.

'_What reason is there for me to fight Utau?'_ she mused, looking at the girl. _'I mean, we're both a part of the same company now. Is there any point in continuing a battle like this?'_ Sakura frowned, standing up. Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari flew to her. _'She had a part in breaking my Sun Egg...but that wasn't her intention; she really has nothing to do with me – our meeting was out of coincidence and our dislike of each other is only because of Ikuto. She is nothing to me, personally.'_

"My turn, Saku-chan; we'll kick her butt!" Katsumi grinned, punching the air in a very Mari-like way. Sakura shook her head.

"No," she rejected, seeing everyone turn to her. "This battle isn't mine. If Hinamori doesn't wish to fight, then I shall not get involved. This is between Hoshina-san and Hinamori, Dia and the Humpty Lock; neither one of them are mine nor, quite frankly, do either of them appeal to me."

"But, Saku-chan!" yelled Mari, shocked. Sakura just case a glance in her direction and sighed.

"Not only does this fight have nothing to do with me, but I'm not even a Guardian anymore," she added, seeing Utau's face crease in confusion. "When I quit the Guardians, I forfeited my rights to fight for or with them. I meant what I said earlier, Hoshina-san; I fight only for myself, and you have nothing to offer me."

"That seems fair," nodded Utau, her face blank. "Perhaps next time we meet, we can fight for Ikuto, huh?"

"No. He's like a domestic cat that thinks he's a stray," Sakura laughed. "He can't be owned, but he'll always come home for dinner." With those final words, Sakura turned to leave.

She never noticed an un-amused 'domestic cat' in the tree, listening to every word she said.


	22. Volleyball and Babies

Chapter Twenty Two

Sakura sighed heavily as she made her way to school that morning. It was just a strange coincidence that Amu had a gold egg as well, and even though it was marked with an 'X', Sakura was jealous that Amu still had her egg. Although Utau possessed it at that moment, it was still there and could be retrieved eventually. Sakura's egg, on the other hand, was broken and she could not heal it, no matter how hard she tried.

With a heavy heart, the girl sat in her usual classroom, watching as her Charas flew around happily, playing tag. She wondered for a moment how it would be if there was another one of them. Would she be slow, like Katsumi, fast, like Mari, uninterested, yet happy, like Setsuko? Would she win, or lose? Even outside of the game of tag, she would often wonder if the Sun Chara would get along with the others.

"Haruno!" called Amu as she entered the classroom, looking slightly angry – the emotion not directed at Sakura – but worried as well.

"Yes?" Sakura blinked, acknowledging the King and the Ace as they walked in after her, but completely ignoring the Jack and the Queen. Yaya's tearful face caused Sakura to stand. "Is something wrong, Yuiki-san?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"Rima-tan broke an X-Egg," Yaya sniffed, holding out the shattered shells.

"We know that you're no longer a Guardian, Haruno-san," Tadase smiled weakly as Sakura turned to him. "You are, however, the only one who can heal broken eggs," he added. Sakura looked away.

'_If I can fix eggs so easily, why is it impossible for me to heal my own?'_ she wondered to herself. Looking at the shells in Yaya's hands, Sakura nodded.

"I'll see what I can do," she agreed, "Katsumi."

"Roger!" Katsumi grinned.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura called, twisting her hands in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair floated close to her knees, flowing around her. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Give it to me, Yuiki-san," Sakura told her, watching as the girl handed the shells over to her. She moved towards her desk and set the shells down, taking a breath and drawing her powers. "Ready, Katsumi?"

"Yep!" she giggled.

"Broken X-Egg – Target!" said Sakura out loud, her body beginning to glow as she rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the X-Egg shells, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the damaged Sun Egg.

It glowed pink for a second and floated in the air, rising up from the desk and piecing itself back together to form an X-Egg again. Kairi was about to tell Amu to purify it, but was silenced when the darkness of the egg began to peel away, revealing a cleansed heart's egg. It jumped a few times and circled Sakura before flying off to its owner. Sakura sighed as she turned back to normal, Katsumi moving to sit on the desk where the egg shells once were.

"Yay; Saku-chi saved the egg!" Yaya cheered, jumping forwards and crushing Sakura in a hug, lifting the smaller girl and spinning her around.

"Yuiki-san, let me go," Sakura muttered, pulling on her arms. Yaya did as she was told and grinned widely.

"So, I see the Ex-Joker can also Chara-Nari? Not only that, but she can repair and heal X-Eggs. Very interesting," the Jack mused as he noted it down in his pad. Sakura scowled at him.

"Can you all leave now?" she asked, thinking about how she could heal that egg, but not her Sun Egg. After they'd left, Sakura pulled out her bag for gym – which she had started doing since she had showed herself as a girl – and changed into her kit. Today was, after all, the Moon Class vs. Star Class Ball Game Tournament.

She walked down to the field after waiting for a while, joining the school-wide Moon Class ranks. Yaya was in the front, yelling to Star Class about how they were going to be defeated in the games that came only once a year. Sakura sighed at the thought of it – last year, she had sat out and watched, but now she was forced to join in.

"Star Class will be victorious, because we have Hinamori Amu – the all around athlete!" Amu's friends and fans cheered, but when they saw Amu their pride in their team had vanished. Sakura smirked – it seemed that hunting the X-Egg had drained Amu.

"Ha! That's a joke!" Yaya laughed. "Anyway, we have the most distracting girl in the school!"

"She wouldn't dare," Sakura hissed, watching as Yaya turned and pulled her out of the crowd.

"Haruno Sakura-chi!" she grinned, holding the tiny girl up. "We'll defeat you and be victorious!"

"Yeah!" the rest of the class cheered.

Everyone then began yelling about their allegiance to Amu – mostly the girls – or Rima – mostly the boys. This went on for a while when a boy from Sixth Grade Moon Class spoke up, once again putting Sakura directly in the spotlight.

"Aha!" one boy yelled. "You may have Rima-sama and Hinamori-san, but we have the one that _everyone_ likes!"

"Haruno Sakura-sama!"

They all cried out, reaching out for Sakura, but when she seemed to be just out of their reach, they yelled "We have failed!"

"Pathetic," Sakura sighed, turning to walk away and ignoring the wails of those still trying to reach out to get her.

{-}

"_The opening ceremony will begin shortly. All students please remain on the ground,"_ a woman announced over the speakers. Sakura, who was stretching – along with Mari, since Katsumi was busy floating around the boys and Setsuko was speaking with Miki – looked up when she heard the voice.

"And so it begins," she sighed, standing from her place and dodging a fanboy that tried to grab her. "Failure," she told him as he slunk away in defeat.

"_All judges should gather at the main area,"_ Nikaidou, who was also at the announcer's table, stated happily. "_Oh, and anyone who doesn't wish to compete can come to the rest tent,"_ he added as an afterthought.

"Saku-chi!" called Yaya happily as she skipped over to her. "Did you know that Kairi's the head of Moon Class' cheerleading squad?" she laughed. "And Tadase looked so funny in his uniform, too! He's the head of Star Class' cheering squad!"

"I see," Sakura nodded, not really paying attention. "Why don't you go and see if Hinamori has recovered from seeing Hotori-san in his uniform, huh?"

"Oh, good idea!" grinned Yaya, jumping on her and hugging the girl tightly before running towards Amu. Sakura's fans cried when they saw how easily Yaya got close to her, and then compared it to their desperate attempts.

"Saku-chan, Kiseki-san has invited us to join a Shugo Chara version of your school's games," Setsuko informed her owner. "Would it be alright if we attend?"

"He invited you?" Sakura asked quietly, confused. "We're not a part of the Guardians anymore, though."

"He asked us to come anyway," Katsumi grinned. "Something about being the Charas to a true human Queen, making us Princess Charas, or whatever," she added with a giggle. Sakura shrugged.

"Alright then," she allowed. "Have fun."

"Thanks!" they smiled, floating away. Sakura smiled at them and sighed, her face dropping as she looked around. She spotted someone walking away from the grounds and frowned, seeing that it was Kairi.

"Now why would a straight-laced guy like him break the rules?" she mused, hurrying to follow him. We moved behind a tree and dialled a number into his phone, letting it ring before someone picked up. Sakura pressed herself against the other side of the tree, listening.

"No, I'm at school," Kairi said to the person on the other side. "The Guardians are strong, but disorganised. Their ties to the new Queen's Chair seem weak, and since the Yin Joker quit, tension is higher than it was previously."

'_He's talking about me, now?'_ Sakura mused, leaning in further.

"Yes I understand," he continued. "The tournament is about to begin, so I'll contact you later. Until then," Kairi finished as he hung up. He moved out from behind the tree and frowned. "Haruno Sakura isn't..."

"– on the grounds with everyone else?" she cut in, causing Kairi to freeze and turn to her with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura held up her hand. "I'm not interested in any excuses," she told him, stepping closer until her nose was almost touching his chest. Ignoring the height difference, Sakura looked up with a glare. "While I am no longer with the Guardians, at least I had the decency to quit before turning against them."

"You..." he trailed off, unable to find words as Sakura turned and walked away from him, leaving a nervous and confused Kairi behind her.

{-}

"On your marks, get set..." The gun was fired, "go!"

The First Graders began their games, soon followed by Second, Third and Fourth Grade. Yaya scored a homerun for Moon Class in the Fifth Grade kickball match, causing praise to fall on her. Now it was time for the Sixth Grade volleyball match. There were six per side, with Amu, her friends and a few others that Sakura didn't know on the side for Star Class, with Rima as a substitution.

On Moon Class' side stood Misaki – whom Sakura only knew through Amu – as well as five other girls that Sakura didn't know personally, or wish to know. She was the substitution for her team, since she was given that position by her fans – they didn't want her to get hurt, even though Sakura knew she would be fine in a harmless game of volleyball.

Misaki's serve made her take back that comment.

"C'mon, Misaki!" huffed Amu. "That's not fair! Aren't you on the volleyball team?"

"Foolish, Hinamori Amu!" grinned Misaki from the other side of the net. "There's no such thing as holding back, in love or sports! The probability of Star Class winning is under 0.00001 percent!"

"Let's give it our best, guys!" one of the girls on Amu's team smiled.

The game went on and one of the girl's on Amu's team was injured. They replaced her with Rima who – after much prompting – stated that she was just going to stand there and that Amu should protect her like a good servant. The Haruno child rolled her eyes at this, but watched the game as it continued. Star Class managed to score a point.

The score was 12-4 when Sakura's Charas floated up to her.

"Saku-chi, bad news!" stated Katsumi. "There's an X-Egg."

"Unless Mashiro-san breaks it, it's not my concern," Sakura shrugged. "I'm sure Hinamori-san can take care of it, after all."

_Ring-Ring_

"Hello?" Sakura answered her phone.

"_Haruno-san, I need to inform you of another agent working at your school_."

"Yes, Boss," Sakura sighed. "I'm listening."

"_He has infiltrated the Guardians and is collecting their secrets. His name is –_"

"Sanjo Kairi," she interrupted, hearing her Boss's breath hitch. "You hired me for my intellect, correct? Do not think I am foolish enough to miss an Easter Agent in my own school," the girl scoffed, hanging up and looking over to Kairi as he lead the cheers for Moon Class, covering up Amu's X-Egg hunting.

"Is Haruno-san staring at Sanjo-kun?"

Sakura froze.

"Do you think she likes him?"

"Maybe it's love!"

"Just great," Sakura muttered, scowling at the ground.

{-}

Yawning widely, Sakura was woken up by the sounds of her phone ringing loudly in the kitchen. Shaking off her sleepiness, she got out of bed, glancing once at her Sun Egg, and picked up the phone, placing it to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered, stifling another yawn.

"_Ah,_" a voice said from the other side of the call,_ "Haruno-san_!"

"Watanabi-san?" she blinked, hearing the voice of her old landlord over the phone. "What is it?"

"_I found something in your apartment this morning that you must have left behind,"_ he told the girl, who frowned. "_Do you want to come and pick it up?_"

"Oh, alright," Sakura replied. "I'll be there soon. Bye."

"_Bye."_

"I left something?" she mused as she walked to her bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing before getting dressed. She wore a lime green, off-the-shoulder jumper that had a baby yellow torso with a picture of a green frog's face on the chest. With that, she pulled on a baby orange pleated skirt that stopped on her thighs, and also a pair of rainbow-coloured, knee-high socks.

Brushing out her long pink hair and leaving it to fall just below her waist – she was planning to get it cut soon – Sakura moved to her eggs. She smiled softly as she tapped her finger once on each, waking the Charas inside. They appeared, sleeping and tired.

"What is it, Saku-chan?" Setsuko asked, hiding a yawn behind her hand. Mari was not so lady-like and yawned widely, her little finger inside her ear.

"I need to go back to my old apartment building. Are you coming?" she asked, seeing them float up and nod. They moved to the door and Sakura pulled on a pair of brown, lace-up boot as well as a yellow beanie that had an orange lining, the colours matching her shirt and skirt.

"Let's go!" Mari grinned as Sakura opened the door.

{-}

"Watanabi-san, what was it that you found?" Sakura asked as she walked into the main office of her old landlord's building. He smiled and pulled a broken box out from under his desk. Sakura's eyes widened.

"I suppose this means something to you, huh?" he smiled, handing it to her.

"Thank you very much," Sakura grinned, holding it tightly. She nodded her thanks again and left the building, heading back to her new home, but was stopped by a voice.

"Saku-chi!" called Yaya as she ran forwards and hugged Sakura from behind.

"Ah, Yuiki-san!" acknowledged Sakura, holding the box tighter so that she didn't drop it. "What did you want?" she asked, turning. Sakura's eyes widened a little when she saw a baby in a pushchair just a little behind Yaya. "Who is...?"

"Hm?" asked Yaya, turning to see what Sakura was looking at. Her face fell and she glared at the baby. "That's my little brother, Tsubasa."

"Really?" blinked Sakura. "Oh yeah, last time I was at your house, your mother was pregnant, right?" she asked, watching Yaya nod. "He's cute," she smiled, approaching the baby and placing a hand on his cheek.

"Brrb!" sounded the baby happily, waving his hands around and catching Sakura's fingers.

"Hello," she grinned, watching as he took a light hold on a piece of her hair and began playing with it. Yaya watched, her eyes lighting up.

"Hey, Saku-chi; why don't you come over to my house today?" she suggested happily. "My parents have gone out and I have to look after Tsubasa all by myself."

"Well...I don't know," Sakura winced, pulling her hair back and standing up, hugging her box tightly.

"Please?" Yaya begged. "The other Guardians are coming over and it'll be really hard to look after Tsubasa if we're having a meeting. Can you please come over and help me out a bit?"

"Please – dechu?" Pepe asked, popping up from behind Yaya's shoulder. Sakura sighed heavily and shrugged.

"I guess I can, but only for a little while," she warned. Yaya seemed happy with that reply and grabbed Sakura's wrist, dragging her quickly towards the younger girl's home, "Yuiki-san! You forgot your brother!"

{-}

When the girls arrived at Yaya's house – with Yaya pushing her brother's pushchair – Sakura sat on a sofa in the living room while Yaya put her brother down for a nap in the crib by the wall. The orangette came back quickly and grinned, jumping on the sofa and turning on the TV.

"So, how old it Tsubasa-chan?" Sakura asked suddenly, turning to Yaya with interest in her eyes. Yaya pouted – not liking how Sakura was more interested in her baby brother that she was with her.

"He's a few months," she replied, crossing her arms. "He is gonna be one-year old in a while, but not yet."

"Hmm," she hummed, nodding her head. "You're lucky."

"What?"

_Ding-Dong_

"Ah, that's the others," Yaya realised. "I'll get the door."

"I'm going to check on Tsubasa-chan," Sakura told her. Yaya nodded.

"If he wakes up, just get him out and sit with him until he falls asleep again, okay?" Yaya said as she walked to the door. Sakura got up and moved to Tsubasa's crib, looking into it with curious eyes. She placed her box down on the coffee table and moved towards him.

"I'll bet you cause your parents a lot of trouble, huh?" Sakura smiled, moving her hand towards him and placing her cold appendage on his warm head. She listened as Yaya opened the door, greeting everyone happily. After a while, she heard footsteps approaching the part of the living room were the baby was and she backed away from the baby, sleeping in his crib.

"Eh? Haruno?" noticed Amu when she walked into Yaya's home, led by a less-than-happy Yaya. "What're you doing here?"

"Yuiki-san found me when I was on my way home and convinced me to come over," Sakura shrugged, crossing her arms. "Are you guys here for a meeting?"

"We are," Tadase nodded, smiling.

"Oh wow, it's a baby!" the taller pinkette gushed upon seeing Tsubasa, "So cute!"

"It looks newly born," the blonde boy realised.

"What's its name?" Kairi, who actually seemed slightly interested in the baby, was at the edge of Tsubasa's crib looking down at the baby boy.

"Tsubasa," Yaya replied simply, her hands behind her head. Rima, the only one other than Sakura and Yaya who wasn't hanging over the crib, turned to look at the Ace's Chair.

"Is it male or female?" she asked, as Tsubasa was a unisex name.

"Male," Yaya told her, ignoring Amu's scolding look as she told Yaya that referring to him as 'male' was like talking about an animal. Yaya's reply was that all he did was eat, sleep and cry, so he kind of _was_ an animal in her eyes. "It's impossible for me to babysit him by myself."

"Eh? Where are your parents?" Tadase asked, shocked by the idea of Yaya's parents leaving her to look after a baby.

"They left and won't be back until tonight," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"This means...!" Amu began as suddenly realisation stuck her. "You suddenly had the idea of holding a meeting here..."

"Bingo!" Yaya chimed, holding up a finger as Pepe copied her pose, "To have everyone else help babysit Tsubasa. That's also the reason I asked Saku-chi to come over!"

"What do you mean 'bingo', Yaya?" Amu yelled loudly.

"I'm a kid too! I can't babysit by myself!" Yaya replied just as loud. Sakura frowned, not understanding why Yaya was being so silly about having to babysit her own little brother for a few hours.

}-{

"_My husband and I need to go collect the koden. Do you think you can look after the children for me? We'll only be a moment," she requested. Sakura turned away, scowling. "I understand if you don't want to..."_

"_No, it's fine," Sakura agreed, putting on a fake smile._

}-{

"Shh!" Tadase hushed urgently as Tsubasa began to stir, crying a little. "You two need to keep it down. You'll wake the baby," he told them. Yaya and Amu froze and Tsubasa continued to cry a little, but relaxed when he settled back into sleep.

{-}

"I wish I was an only child," Sakura heard Yaya say as she walked into the living room, having just made drinks for everyone. They were all looking through Yaya's baby albums, but Sakura didn't want to – she was jealous that Yaya had all of her memories photographed.

"There isn't anything great about being an only child," Rima told her, looking at the photo album.

"I have the drinks," Sakura announced, walking in with the tray. "Cola for Yuiki-san, orange juice for Hotori-san, Hinamori-san has lemonade, coco for Mashiro-san, and a glass of water for Sanjo-san," she listed, handing out the drinks.

"Thank you," Kairi nodded as he took his drink from her. Everyone else said their thanks as well. Yaya took a sip through her straw and watched as Sakura sat down, her hands empty.

"Why don't you have a drink, Saku-chi?" she asked, frowning. Sakura shrugged.

"I'm not very thirsty," she told the girl.

"Amu-chan, can I make something for Tsubasa-chan to eat – desu?" Suu asked her owner happily.

"But he's still a baby," Amu stated, confused.

"It will be baby food. It's mushy, so he will be able to eat it," The green Chara informed the girl happily, floating towards the baby. "I'll follow the recipe Yaya-chan's mother has in the kitchen – desu."

"Is that okay, Yaya?" she asked, turning towards the younger girl. Yaya looked up with a smile.

"If Suu-chan's making it, it should be just fine," Yaya agreed happily. "While you're at it, make me some snacks, too," she added with a wink and a grin.

"Hey," Amu sweat-dropped.

"Just leave it to me – desu!" Suu smiled happily, floating towards the kitchen.

"Setsuko, can you help her?" Sakura asked her most graceful Chara, knowing of Suu's clumsiness. Setsuko nodded and followed the Green Chara. The other Charas went with them as Suu assigned role for everyone.

As the Charas set to preparing baby food and cookies, the Guardians sat themselves at Yaya's dining table, right next to Tsubasa's crib. Sakura leant on the wall next to the baby, close to the Guardians, feeling rather out-of-place now that she was no longer a member. They began their meeting – very quietly, so as not to disturb the baby – and spoke about Easter and the X-Eggs.

'_I wonder how they would react if they knew I was with the enemy,'_ she mused as El revealed herself, yelling about how Utau was a 'good girl'.

"Dummy," Amu sighed. She then began to explain about the X-Eggs, with El making sure she could never incriminate Utau. When Amu was done explaining, Kairi acted as though it was the first time he's heard of this.

'_He's a good actor, I'll give him that,'_ Sakura scowled, _'but I know that the woman in charge of Utau is named __**Sanjo**__ Yukari – his older sister.'_ She smirked mentally, wondering how long he would be able to pull off his undercover work before being exposed. In a way, she was thankful for him – without Kairi, Sakura may have been the one to work undercover.

"My –!" began Amu, with a loud voice, waking up Tsubasa suddenly. He began to cry, his eyes closed tightly and his wailing voice loud. "He seems to be in a bad mood," she realised as everyone crowded the crib.

"That's because you spoke loudly suddenly and woke him up," Yaya accused, sending a blank look towards Amu before pouting.

"Really?" asked Amu, not wanting to be the one to blame.

"Perhaps he has some sort of beef with society," Kairi suggested.

"That's stupid," Sakura scoffed, both of the crossing their arms.

"Maybe he's just uneasy because his mother's gone," Amu realised, her face worried. Sakura's hardened expression dropped and her arms fell to her side as she looked towards the baby.

}-{

"_Sakura-chan seems really distant," she heard her father say to the doctor just outside her room. "She's only six. Is this normal?"_

"_It's close to her birthday, right?" the doctor stated. "She's probably just uneasy because her mother's not here anymore, is all. She'll be back to normal soon enough."_

}-{

'_I know the feeling, little guy,'_ Sakura sighed, her face sad. Kairi noticed her expression, but said nothing.

"Why don't you hold him? You're his big sister, after all," Amu prompted, looking away from the crying baby and towards Yaya.

"Just leave him alone and he'll be fine," Yaya rejected, puffing out her cheeks and looking away. Sakura's sad expression became a scowl as she walked up to Yaya, glaring at her.

"How would you feel if you were upset enough to cry and everyone just ignored you?" she hissed at the taller girl, seeing guilt cross Yaya's face.

"O-Okay, I'll hold him," she nodded, picking Tsubasa out of his crib and kneeling on the floor with the boy in her arms. He continued to cry and Yaya got frustrated, "Jeez! This is impossible!" she yelled, shocking Tsubasa into crying harder. "Rima-tan, please take him!" she asked, rushing towards Rima.

"No," Rima said, turning away and looking nervous. Obviously she didn't want to risk taking the baby.

"He can cry of anxiety despite being so young," Kairi observed in interest. "That is indeed fascinating."

"Then you take him, Chairman!" Yaya said happily, pushing her crying brother into his hands as his blue eyes widened in shock.

"Chairman?" mused Sakura, placing a finger to her lips as Kairi struggled with holding the baby, looking very flustered.

"W-What?" he asked, surprised as the baby wiggled in his hands. "This is too sudden!"

"Keep your calm, Kairi," Musashi warned quietly.

"It'll be fine," Amu assured as she walked over to him with a smile. "You just need to support his head," she added as Kairi did as he was told.

"L-Like this?" he asked. Amu nodded.

"Yep, you're good," she smiled. Sakura stepped up.

"You also need to wrap your other arm a little tighter around him," she stated, holding Kairi's arm when he attempted to move, but did it wrong. "Like this, Sanjo-san," the girl sighed, making sure his arm was positioned right before letting go. Tsubasa stopped crying instantly and looked up with his big brown eyes, smiling at Kairi. The peace lasted for a few seconds before Tsubasa began crying again.

"What did I do?" Kairi panicked, looking between the baby and the girls. They shrugged.

"Maybe he just doesn't like you," Sakura slipped in happily, glad for the chance to get in a jab at Kairi.

"King; please take him!" he asked, holding the baby out to Tadase.

"Huh? Me?" Tadase stuttered, taking the baby and holding him in the way that Sakura and Amu had told Kairi. "W-What do I do?"

"Hm! Leave it to me," Kiseki, appearing out of nowhere, smiled arrogantly. "For the King, nothing is impossible!" he added as a crown popped onto Tadase's head and he held the baby up high.

"There need to be no tears on the path of a King!" he yelled triumphantly, the Chara-Change taking over. "Laugh into the sky, young child!" he added, laughing maniacally.

"K-King, that's dangerous," Kairi stated, worried for the baby.

"He's rather reckless," Rima noted. Tsubasa began crying harder.

"Jeez, you're totally useless, Tadase!" Yaya pouted as Amu laughed nervously.

"Wait, I know," Amu stopped, pulling out her phone and playing one of the songs from it. Tsubasa, hearing the tune, quietened down.

"Your ringtone?" realised Yaya as Tsubasa began to make happy sounds, wiggling in time to the tune as best he could with a happy smile on his face.

"Ah, Tsubasa-dono's spirits have been lifted," Kairi noticed.

"Amazing!" cheered Yaya.

"But how?" questioned Tadase, confused as he held the baby.

"They say it's good to divert a baby's attention without surprising them," Amu informed everyone in the room. "I happened to have a good ringtone for that."

"Now that you mention it, I've heard something similar before," Kairi nodded, placing a finger to his chin. "The sound of a music box is good for treating illness or stopping an infant crying in the night. I'm impressed that you were able to put that to practical use, Joker."

"It was nothing!" Amu assured them, suddenly shy from all the positive attention.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone!" said Suu as she floated back into the room with Sakura's Charas behind her. "The cookies and Tsubasa-chan's baby food are all ready to go!"

Even after feeding him, Tsubasa was still slightly upset. Amu figured out that he needed some milk and so she led Yaya and Rima to the kitchen to prepare some for the baby while the boys and Sakura watched over him. Kairi and Tadase were slightly nervous about being left with the baby, just in case he cried, but Sakura seemed fine with the idea and was leaning on the wall close by again.

Amu soon came back to take care of Tsubasa and Sakura went to help Yaya with his milk, pouring it into the bottle for her. When they came back, Yaya holding the baby's bottle, they saw Yoru with the basket of cookies. Amu had the right idea by letting him leave with them – just as long as he was quite – but Yaya was nothing if not a sweet-o-holic.

"My cookies!" she yelled out, pointing at him with a glare.

"Give them back – dechu!" Pepe added, frowning from behind her pacifier.

"Chara-Change!" the two yelled, the milk bottle in Yaya's hands suddenly becoming very large as she shot milk at Yoru. He dodged skilfully and the house ended up extremely messy with milk all over the walls. Hearing the noise, Tsubasa began to wail loudly.

"What's that – nya?" Yoru questioned, obviously not having seen the baby when he entered. As Amu yelled at Yaya for being noisy, Sakura pushed past Kairi and reached into the crib, picking up Tsubasa.

"Hush, hush," she soothed, holding him tightly and rocking him from side to side, swaying her body to match the rhythm as she walked around the room, allowing the breeze from her movements to touch his face.

"Wow, Saku-chi! You're magic!" Yaya cried happily, her brother's crying quickly reduced to nothing.

"You guys start clearing up, okay?" Sakura suggested in the softest tone they'd ever heard her speak with. "I'll take care of Tsubasa. Yoru, you can leave. This is partly your fault to begin with."

"Got it – nya..." Yoru sulked, flying out of the window. Amu transformed with Suu and used 'Remake Honey' to fix the room while Sakura sat on the sofa, softly humming a tune that Mama May in Africa used to hum to her granddaughter when Sakura helped babysit.

"I'll make him another bottle of milk," Sakura offered, walking to the kitchen with Tsubasa. Everyone watched in awe as she held Tsubasa in the crook of one arm and used the other hand to prepare his milk for him, moving as quickly as she could to get him fed.

"Saku-chi..." Yaya whispered in awe as Sakura practically danced around the kitchen, humming to keep Tsubasa amused and smiling as he laughed, enjoying the feeling of being moved as she spin to collect another bottle from the sterilizer.

"Hinamori, can you hold him for a moment?" Sakura asked as she walked back into the living room, carefully giving him to the taller girl before checking the milk's temperature on her wrist. After finding it to be a good temperature for the baby to drink, she handing the bottle to Amu while the girl sat down to feed him.

"A mother's task seems very complex," Musashi nodded, seeing the smile on Sakura's face as the calm Tsubasa happily drank his milk. "The rewards, however, seem to be far greater than the strain."

"You seem to be suited for a mother's role, Ex-Joker," Kairi noticed, watching as Sakura tensed. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child," she told him quietly.

"I see. Your mother must have been wonderful for you to have picked up these skills so completely," he added, trying to be nice but, seeing the pained look on her face, he knew he had failed.

"I don't remember my mother that well," she admitted. "She died when I was four," the girl sighed. Kairi looked as though he were about to apologise, but Sakura shook her head to stop him. "Thanks for inviting me, Yuiki-san, but I think I'll leave now," she said quietly, mindful not to upset Tsubasa.

"Okay, Saku-chi!" Yaya nodded sadly, munching on cookies. "Bye, bye!"

"Bye."


	23. You Give Me Fever

Chapter Twenty Three

Sakura was tossing and turning, her cheeks red and her forehead covered in sweat. Mari and Setsuko were trying to wake her up by shaking her shoulders while Katsumi called out to her. Nothing worked. Setsuko flew to her and placed a hand on her forehead, gasping at the feeling of heat.

"She has a fever!" stated Setsuko to her sisters, both of whom looked shocked and worried. "We have to wake her up!" she added, faltering when Sakura's eyes snapped open, her breathing heavy. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears, which she quickly wiped away.

"Good morning," Sakura greeted weakly, standing shakily and falling back onto her bed once she was on her feet. She looked pale, horribly so, and her Charas were worried.

"You okay, Saku-chan?" questioned Mari, floating closer. Sakura attempted to smile, but it looked more like a wince.

"I...I'm fine," she said, her words becoming a whisper as she got up again and opened her bedroom door. The girl walked out into her apartment, getting herself ready for school. Her Charas looked on in worry as the four of them left the apartment to head to school, skipping breakfast.

She stumbled on her own feet a little as she crossed the street, bowing her head when the brightness of the sun shone in her eyes, causing her already pounding headache to worsen. When she made it into the school grounds, her dizzy feeling only increased, due to the loud noises of the chattering crowds. Sakura heart beat a mile a minute as she tripped, barely managing to catch herself before she fell, attracting attention.

"Are you alright, Haruno-sama?" a boy from Third Grade asked cautiously.

Sakura said nothing in reply, using all of her energy to just put one foot in front of the other. Everyone simply believed this was a show of how 'Cool and Mysterious' she was, not answering a question with words but with actions – since walking was, apparently, a sign of good heath – but Sakura could only call them fools. She dropped herself at her desk, placing her bag in front of her and resting her head on it, her flushed cheeks burning.

"Good morning, class!" the teacher called as she walked in, "Everyone, sit in your seats. Haruno-san, please remove your bag from your desk."

"Yes, sensei," Sakura called back weakly. Her teacher looked at her for a moment before shaking her head and looking away, beginning the register to check to see if everyone was there. First Period came around quickly and Sakura struggled to keep her eyes open while her sensei – a balding man with bad breath and an even worse sense of personal hygiene – taught the class grammar and spelling.

Second Period was more difficult for her – Music. Usually she enjoyed the subject, sitting at the back and reading over scores while the rest of the class listen to the teacher play piano. Every Monday they all got out their instruments and played as loudly as they could in no particular way to no particular tune; it sounded awful to any passerby, but to the individual student, listening only to themselves, it sounded wonderful. Normally, Sakura hated this day due to the headache it brought her – with her being ill on top of the extraordinarily horrific sound she could now fully describe all levels of hell.

Standing from her seat and ignoring the concerned looks of her Charas, Sakura walked to the front of the class and picked up the first instrument she reached – the triangle. Dragging herself back to her seat, she placed the silver shape in front of her and covered her ears, trying to lessen her headache as the class made more noise than she thought possible. One boy had decided to play the guitar and, obviously, had no clue what he was doing – the main clue was that he hadn't noticed how out-of-tune the instrument was.

_Ding-Ding-Dong-Dong_

"Alright, class, that's it for today," their music teacher smiled when the class groaned, carrying their instruments back to the front of the room. The boy that sat directly in front of her was kind enough to take Sakura's instrument back to the front of the room in her place – she made a mental note to get his name and thank him properly.

"Break time, break time!" Katsumi sang happily.

"The first stop in a long day," Sakura sighed, placing her head on her desk and blinking, her vision becoming blurry. Standing quickly, the girl fell, her stomach connecting with the desk across from her. Sakura panted as she curled up on the floor, dizzy and in pain – she was just glad that everyone else had gone outside for break.

"Saku-chan!" called out Setsuko and the others in worry as Sakura pulled herself up, using the desks at leverage. She forced a smile onto her face when she turned to face them, not wanting the three to worry over her health.

"I can get through today. Then I'll go home and get straight into bed, okay?"

{-}

She did _not_ go straight home and into bed, as she had promised. On her way back to her Easter Apartment, Sakura had remembered that she was running low on bread and milk, and so needed to stop at the shops in order to buy some before the next morning. After that, she had walked into another shop to buy some flour – having used the last of it when baking cookies and cakes for Yaya on the first meeting of the new school year.

"Saku-chan; you need to get home to rest!" cried Katsumi, tugging on Sakura's arm as she walked robotically towards her old apartment. "You moved, remember? You don't live here anymore!"

"Oh, right," Sakura responded airily, "I forgot," she nodded, turning around and heading in the correct direction. Her eyes were unfocused as she moved on autopilot, finally making it back to her apartment. She changed her clothes from her school uniform into her pyjamas and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

}-{

"_Mama!" called Sakura as loudly as she could, running towards the only bit of light in the darkness, her hand outstretched, "Mama! Please! Where are you?"_

"_**That child is all alone now."**_

"_Mama!" she cried desperately, searching, "Papa!" The voices around her were maddening._

"_**She's the reason her mother got sick."**_

"_**If only she hadn't wished so much to travel, then Kathleen would be here right now."**_

"_It's been a year, Mama."_

_A little girl of no more than five sat on her bed, looking out of her window at the stars, holding her hands together as she spoke. Her words were slow, the gap in her teeth causing her words to sound slightly strange._

"_I really, really miss you. Papa says you're safe now, in a lovely place called heaven."_

_She paused, looking up for any sign that her mother had heard her. When nothing happened, she continued._

"_We had your favourite dinner tonight. I ate it all up, even though I don't like pickled seaweed much."_

_The little girl laughed a bit, hoping her mother was proud of her._

"_I learned to braid my own hair last week and did it again so you could see; it looks pretty, but not as nice as when you did it for me."_

_Her eyes searched the sky, but nothing changed._

"_Can't you see me? Did I do it nice, like you, Mama?"_

_She waited for an answer, frowning._

"_We travelled to Scotland, and I started school there. We didn't stay long, so I didn't get to make any friends, really. We're going to Ireland soon – that's where you grew up; Papa told me."_

_Her voice was getting quieter, but then she grinned._

"_I drew a picture of us! We're playing hide-and-go-seek, just like we used to."_

_Her thoughts turned to playing games with her mother._

"_You were the greatest, Mama!"_

_She giggled._

"_Guess what! I can swing on the swing all by myself now...but I still miss you pushing me."_

_A small sniff escaped her._

"_Can't you see me?"_

_She demanded answers now, her voice wavering._

"_I miss how you used to tickle me. You tickled my belly. My belly hurts at the moment, but I'll be all better, soon."_

_She assured, just in case her mother was worried._

"_I try not to cry. Papa says it's okay to cry, but...I know you don't like it when I do. You never wanted me to be sad. I try not to, but it hurts."_

_Quietly, the little girl tried to hold back a sob, her tears gathering in her eyes, but she still managed a smile. Just for her mother._

"_Is it true you're not coming home? Maybe someday...I can visit you in heaven, okay?"_

"_Sakura-chan, it's time to go to sleep," her father called through._

"_Okay, Papa!" replied Sakura before turning back to the stars. "It's time for me to go to bed now, Mama. Papa said so, and I'm being good so that when I see you again, I won't be grounded. You know, I sleep with the light on...just in case you come home...and kiss me goodnight. I love you so much..."_

_Her tears fell onto her bed, but she continued to smile._

"_I miss you, Mama."_

"_**Poor Aki-kun – he had so much to look forwards to."**_

"_Mama...Papa...Why can't I be there with you?"_

}-{

Sakura's eyes opened and she realised morbidly that it wasn't even morning yet, judging by the darkness around her. The light snoring of Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari pounded loudly in her ears as she tried to get back to sleep, but failed in the end. With nothing else to do and knowing that she would fall if she tried to get out of bed, the girl laid still and allowed her headache to slowly worsen.

A few hours later, she knew she had to get up in order to get ready for school, and she pulled herself out of bed. Her head was pounding as she pulled herself along the wall to her bathroom, turning the taps weakly and jumping when a sudden stream of water jetted out of the round opening. Sakura wished that she could just take the day off, but knew that even if she did, there was no one other than her that she could rely on.

She paused for a moment, glancing over at her 'shelf of broken things', as she had begun to call it. Sitting with a light cover of dust was her red mahogany box, the broken brass hinges appearing slightly rusted. Next to it, as she had taken it out, was the shattered cherry blossom, laying in pieces in a shallow cardboard lid, so that she could see it, and it wouldn't roll off. The final thing on the shelf was her golden egg, the crack in its side as large as the day it first formed.

After getting ready for school, Sakura smiled and woke her Charas. The four of them together went to the school and Sakura, only thinking to assure her Charas that she was fine, went to the library instead of the classroom. Once there, she began to research the first thing she found – toads, ironically enough. She smiled a little as she read about her best friend's favourite animal; a long-term love he had developed after meeting their Third Grade teacher, a man named Jiraiya that kept and cared for toads as a hobby.

It reminded her of the last time she was sick – Naruto and Sasuke had pulled her out of school and towards Sasuke's home, where the two of them cared for her under the watchful gaze of Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke's mother. They had been so worried that she would die or worse, in their minds at that time, at least, never be able to cook again. Their lunches had been made up of her cooking – as well as that of their mother's – for so long that they couldn't think about a meal without Sakura's food.

Her eyelids were heavy and she wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep and never wake up, forever kept in her comfortable dreams of her past friends, but she was also sure that doing so would _not_ be the right way to convince her Charas that she was fine. With a sigh, the girl stood up and put the book away, not really looking where she put it. After that, she left the library and headed towards the classroom.

{-}

After school, Sakura just wanted to get home and sleep, but she still had to go back to class for cleaning duties. Whether or not she was still working for the school, their teacher had decided that they needed to have a person clean the classroom every evening. She was unfortunate enough to get a 'hit' when they all drew lots at the end of Fifth Period. As she walked back to the room after gathering the needed supplies from the cleaning cupboard, Sakura yawned, regretting it when her brain pounded against her skull.

She entered the classroom and dropped the bucket, dipping the mop in the water and getting to work, trying to ignore how hot, tired and dizzy she felt.

{-}

Sakura stumbled down the street towards her apartment, her Charas floating around her as she walked. Sweat was sticking her hair to her forehead and cheeks and the air felt humid and heavy to her. Her vision blurred until she could barely see and she felt as though she were going to throw up, but she had to carry on.

Missing one step, Sakura tripped over her own feet and began to fall towards the ground, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing passed her as she got closer to hitting the end of her fall. Warm arms caught her and she cringed – she was too hot, she needed to get away from the heat.

"Calm down," a soothing voice called to her through her haziness as familiar hands tightened around her, "I've got you."

Blissfully unaware of how dangerous a position she was in, Sakura allowed her eyes to slide closed, content in this person's protection.

{-}

Ikuto yawned as he walked down the street, Yoru on his shoulder playing with the cool breeze. He smirked at his Chara slightly as he carried on, looking straight ahead of him as he went. He had actually gone to school that day, but had homework due tomorrow and so didn't feel like attending again – once a month was enough, he believed.

"Ikuto, that's Sakura – nya!" yelled Yoru happily, pointing across the street at the pinkette. Ikuto turned instantly, readying an annoying comment, but froze when he saw her.

She was deathly pale, but with an unhealthy flush to her cheeks. From where he stood he could see the sweat on her face and she could barely hold herself up, but the people around her were taking no notice. Angry at those that would ignore an obviously sick girl, he pushed through the crowd to the road and was about to check for cars, but he saw Sakura falter in her steps.

"Yoru!" he called in desperation.

"Chara-Change – nya!" the Chara accommodated just as quickly.

He leapt over the road, over the cars as well, and sprinted towards the girl, catching her just before she hit the ground. He sighed in relief, but was shocked again when he felt how high her temperature was. The girl began to struggle against him – he was glad that she was still able to consciously try to push away from people she believed were strangers.

"Calm down," he whispered to her, lifting her up into his arms, "I've got you, now," Ikuto continued, watching her as she slipped into unconsciousness. He remained still, starring down at her face as fever-induced dreams made her face twist in pain. Ikuto rested his cool hand on her cheek and she calmed.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Katsumi, biting her lip. The cat ears on Ikuto's head disappeared, along with his tail, and he sighed.

"How long has she been like this?" he asked her, making it seem as though he was talking to himself.

"About two days," Mari told him, worry also evident on her face. Setsuko floated forwards and rested herself on Sakura's chest, listening to her owner's heart beat. Ikuto watched this for a moment before looking away.

"I have to get her to bed," said Ikuto, beginning to walk towards her apartment.

"Wait a moment," Setsuko's quiet, calm voice met his ears, "She does not live in the apartment you are familiar with any longer."

"She moved?" he frowned, at a loss now of where to go.

"Apartment 7-K, West Easter Apartment Building," Katsumi recited to him, watching as his face melted into anger, looking down at Sakura in silent rage.

"She promised me that she wouldn't join Easter," he muttered darkly, turning and heading towards the building. He knew it well, having lived there himself for a short while, only in a different apartment. "She promised, no matter what."

"_I wasn't even considering it, for your information!" yelled Sakura._

"Not the time, Ikuto!" scolded Mari. "You need to get her to bed! She's getting worse!"

"I...I know that, Mari," Ikuto said, calming his temper a little as he approached the building, "Yoru."

"Got it," the Chara nodded. "Chara-Change – nya!" he announced as cat ears and a tail appeared on Ikuto. The boy leapt up, using window ledges to propel himself further until he got to the room that smelt most of Sakura. Once he got there he opened the window and climbed inside, taking in his surroundings.

"This is definitely her room," he smirked as he closed the window with his foot after the Charas had flown inside. "She needs to learn to lock her windows."

"Why would she?" giggled Katsumi. "You're the only one who can get in through there. We're on the eleventh floor!"

"True," shrugged Ikuto, placing Sakura on her bed once her Chara's had pulled her covers back. Carefully, so as not to wake her, the teenager removed her shoes, socks, tie and blazer before placing the covers over her again, lifting them to her chin.

"I shall retrieve some ice," Setsuko offered, about to leave but Ikuto stopped her.

"No, I'll get it," he stated. "I need to make some cold water and get a cloth for her forehead," the boy continued, getting up to do as he had said. However, he was stopped by a small hand that had taken hold of the back of his jacket.

"No...Don't go..." a small, weak voice called out through her sleep, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"We'll get the water and stuff," Mari told him.

"You just stay with her," added Katsumi, pulling Yoru with them into the kitchen to help them fill – then carry – a bucket of water. Setsuko, being the delicate one, was only going to get the cloth.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Ikuto sighed, stroking the hair away from Sakura's forehead. A small smile appeared on her face and she reached her shaky hands up, grasping his hand in both of hers.

"Ikuto..." she breathed in her sleep, holding his hand to her cheek gently; her hands were too small to completely hold his. Ikuto's eyes widened significantly before his face softened and he leaned in, placing his forehead to her own.

"Fever," he murmured, pulling away and looking again at her face. He had never seen her in such a fragile state. Carrying her and having her holding his hand made him realise just how small and vulnerable she really was, and relief flooded through him that he was the one to find her and not a more shady character.

"We've got the water, Ikuto – nya!" announced Yoru as he and the girls came back into the room. The cat-Chara, along with Mari and Katsumi, were carrying the bucket while Setsuko floated above with the cloth, just in case she had to drop it and help them at any point.

"Good job," nodded Ikuto, standing and slowly pulling his hand out of Sakura's loose grip. He walked to the Charas and took the bucket in one hand, using the other to take the cloth from Setsuko and dip it into the water. Ikuto wrung out all of the excess water from the cloth and placed it over Sakura's forehead, hoping that it would cool her down.

"She's gonna get better, right?" asked Mari, floating above Ikuto's right shoulder with Yoru while Setsuko and Katsumi floated over his left, all looking down at Sakura as she slept.

"She'll be fine," Ikuto assured them. "All she needs is some rest and, when she wakes up, a meal and some medicine."

"We have some leftovers in the fridge!" exclaimed Mari happily, glad to know something useful.

"You do?" Ikuto frowned, remembering how she never kept leftovers unless they were for him.

"Saku-chan has kept the habit of preparing extra food when cooking our meals, even after you stopped...ahem, _visiting_," Setsuko informed him with a small smile.

"She did, huh?" Ikuto smiled, a real smile, as he moved some of her hair away from her face, "How nice. Unfortunately, leftovers won't do. She needs a fresh meal."

"But we can't cook!" growled Mari, crossing her arms. Ikuto shrugged.

"I guess I'll have to make it," he said slowly. Yoru turned pale.

"No, no, no, no, no – nya!" Yoru warned. "If you let him cook for her, she'll get worse – nya!"

"Who else is going to do it?" Ikuto glared at his Neko-Shugo before looking around the small group of Charas. Katsumi, Mari and Setsuko's faces adopted wide grins as they looked between each other.

"One of the Guardians has to know how to cook," Katsumi realised.

"All we must do is, enlist their services for the care of Saku-chan," Setsuko added with a small twirl of delight.

"Leave that to me!" Mari assured, a wide grin spreading over her face.

{-}

"Okay, so...Kukai's place is first," said Mari to herself, closing her eyes as she tried to find Daichi's presence. After finding it, she flew to a second-floor window and knocked quickly.

"Mari?" asked Kukai, opening his window and letting her in. "What's going on? Is Sakura here?" His voice had poorly-hid hope in it and Mari felt almost bad for him.

"No, she's not," she stated, watching as his hope died, "but you need to come with me, now!"

"Is she okay?" Daichi questioned, floating to Mari as Kukai wordlessly looked for something to wear.

"No, she's not," she repeated, though the meaning was different.

Kukai ran out of the house with the Charas – shirtless and with untied shoe-laces.

{-}

"Soma-kun, what are you doing here?" asked Tadase as he answered his door; it was already dark, and the last person he was expecting to see was his shirtless sempai. "Why aren't you properly dressed?"

"No time to explain! Sakura's sick and she needs our help!"

{-}

"Do you know what time it is?" a sleepy Yaya yawned as she looked between the boys and their Charas. "Why is Mari with you?"

"Is everything okay – dechu?"

"Sakura's sick!"

"Where's your shirt?"

"I'll explain later."

{-}

"King's Chair? Ace's Chair? Ex-Jack's Chair?" enquired Kairi, shocked at their appearance and trying to keep the door as closed as possible, so as not to reveal is sister to them. "What's going on?"

"Haruno-san's ill and she needs our help. Mari is collecting us all," Tadase explained. Kukai and Yaya nodded their heads vigorously.

"Alright," he agreed, grabbing his jacket.

{-}

"Eh? Why's everyone here?" questioned Amu loudly, blushing at Tadase seeing her in her pyjamas. "Why isn't Kukai wearing a shirt?"

"He left the house in a hurry when he heard Sakura was sick," Daichi told her.

"Haruno's sick?"

"She needs us – dechu!"

"Let's go!"

{-}

"Amu, everyone," greeted Rima as she opened the door of her home. No one spoke as they took her arms, pulling the small girl along with them as they ran.

{-}

"I wonder who Mari's bringing," Ikuto sighed, changing the cloth on Sakura's forehead. "Just one of them will do, after all."


	24. Calls and Pancake Mess

Chapter Twenty Four

Kukai and Ikuto sat across the room from each other, each in a chair. Between them, on the sofa, Kairi and Tadase were attempting to remain invisible, so as not to disturb the glaring boys. The girls, Amu, Rima and Yaya, were in Sakura's room with their Charas, changing her out of her school clothes and into a set of pyjamas that Yaya had found.

"Now, why is Tsukiyomi Ikuto watching over Haruno Sakura?" asked Kukai after a while of silent. His eyes narrowed and Ikuto smirked.

"It's nothing new," he taunted. "Besides, it was only a lucky coincidence that I found her and brought her home."

"A coincidence, huh?" the younger of the sneered, "For some reason, I don't believe you."

"Should we not be thankful for the kindness shown by the cat?" Musashi cut in, floating between the two. He was snatched back by Kairi, who had a nervous look on his face.

"Now might not be the time to interrupt," he muttered as the glares were momentarily directed towards him, but they were soon shifted to each other again.

"Okay, we're back," smiled Amu as she walked out. "We changed the cloth on her forehead, too. She seems to be getting a bit better."

"I still don't know how we didn't notice how sick she was," Ran commented guiltily, her eyes directed to the ground. Miki nodded in agreement.

"She'll probably sleep through the night," Yaya cut in, telling the boys what she and Amu had already figured out.

"We can relax for now, but her fever is still temperamental," Rima added, tilting her head and blinking. Tadase, taking the hint, stood up and gave her his seat, sitting himself on the floor.

"I'm going to go and get something for her from the pharmacy for when she wakes up," Ikuto sighed, standing and grabbing his coat from near the door, slipping on his shoes.

"Why not me?" growled Kukai, also standing.

"Because you're too young to be buying cold medicine," the cat-boy smirked, opening the door and leaving with Yoru. Kukai slumped back into the chair and frowned, looking towards Sakura's door.

"She's gonna be okay, right?" he asked the girls, feeling a little useless. Ikuto had cared for her until they had arrived and then Amu had kicked the boys out, saying that she, Rima and Yaya had it from there.

"She'll be fine," Amu smiled.

"But," Yaya frowned a little, looking back at Sakura's room and then towards the boys, "she's not as calm with us as she was with Ikuto."

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Kairi, tilting his head.

"Perhaps it's the presence of a male figure," suggested Tadase.

"She did state previously that her mother passed on," Musashi nodded in agreement with the King's Chair. "It is possible that her senses must detect someone with a presence similar to her father in her illness for her to be calmed."

"So a boy – dechu!" translated Pepe for the others in the room, who looked at her gratefully.

"Kukai-san, I believe it should be either you or Kairi," Setsuko spoke up, approaching the sports-loving boy. His face twisted in shock as he looked towards the blue Chara.

"Me or Kairi?" frowned Kukai, "Why?" he asked finally. Miki, picking up on Setsuko's thinking, floated forwards.

"Because you're the oldest and Kairi's the most mature. You two are the closest thing we have to a 'man's presence' around here," Amu's Blue-Chara stated, seeing Setsuko nod. "I would suggest Kukai, because she likes you more."

"She does?" Kukai's cheeks turned slightly red before Daichi cleared his throat, snapping him out of it.

"That's not exactly hard," muttered Kairi, looking away. He knew how much Sakura didn't like him, as did everyone else. She had made it painfully obvious on the day of their first meeting.

"_You may leave at any time, if you so wish," she said to the new Queen's Chair before looking towards the new Jack, "however, this offer only extends to you if you take him with you and never, ever return."_

Watching as Kukai rose from his seat and walked towards the pinkette's bedroom, Kairi blinked and realised what he could do to get on her good side, finally. Not really knowing why he wanted to be in her good graces, he pulled out his notepad and looked at the phone numbers scribbled with the names of the two people that would make her happier than she's ever been seen and, thus, make him popular with her for bringing them.

As he put in one of the numbers, he recalled the time he had seen fit to research all of the Guardians before meeting them, taking notes on what he saw to be useful or otherwise interesting information. The names and contact details of Sakura's friends were just titbits of the data he had collected, though very little of it was actually about her.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello. My name is Sanjo Kairi...I need to talk to Uchiha Sasuke."

"_Speaking_," was the reply.

"It's about an old friend of yours. Does the name Haruno Sakura ring any bells?"

"_...Continue._"

{-}

"Sakura?" whispered Kukai so as not to wake her; being alone in a room with Sakura for the first time was making him nervous, so his 'whisper' was more of a semi-quiet yelp. Suddenly wishing that Daichi hadn't decided to stay with Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, he walked over to the side of the bed Ikuto had been when he was sitting with her.

Looking at her face, he saw a small frown on her lips and gulped, unsure of what to do. Grudgingly, he copied what they had seen Ikuto doing when they first arrived at the building. The boy reached up and pressed his hand to her cheek, almost pulling it back when he saw her jump at how cold his hand was, but the girl have him no chance – she reached up and took a weak grip on his hand.

"Ikuto?" she called out, her throat sounding dry. A cold feeling swept through the boy and he looked away.

"No. It's Kukai," he corrected. The grip on his hand remained the same and the frown left her face, leaving only a soft look on her flushed face. Her eyes fluttered for a moment and flickered open slowly, their green colour glowing in the dimness of the room.

"Hi," Sakura greeted, her face lifting into a small smile for a moment before it dropped and her eyes slid closed again. "Why am I so tired?"

"You have a fever," he told her. _'So, is she's actually asking why she's tired and not why I'm in her room? Sakura's really out of it.'_

"Oh. I guess I should sleep, huh?" To Kukai, she sounded like she was half-way to sleep already, but he smiled and laughed a little anyway.

"Yeah, you probably should," he agreed. "Ikuto's gone to get you some medicine, so you should be feeling better soon after you take is."

"Ikuto has...?" her voice trailed off as she slipped into sleep again and Kukai sighed, tightening his grip on her hand.

"Ikuto – that's right. She obviously likes him a lot more than me," he muttered angrily, remembering what had happened when he and the other Guardians had first arrived.

}-{

"_This way!" called Mari to them, floating towards Sakura's apartment. Amu had gotten one of her father's t-shirts for Kukai to borrow and they had paused while the taller pinkette got dressed, allowing the boy to also tie his trainers._

_By the time they actually reached Sakura's apartment, it was dark out. Each of them took out their phones to call their parents, telling them they were staying at a friend's house for the night and yes, they would be sure to wash and get home in good time the following morning or, if not, they would call to tell them that they would be home later._

"_Has she been alone in her apartment?" asked Yaya, tears coming to her eyes as she pictured a sick Sakura, all by herself._

"_No, she hasn't," Mari assured them as they snuck in a side-door and headed to the stairs to get to Sakura's floor – the eleventh floor, so they weren't looking forwards to the climb._

"_Oh, because Setsuko and Katsumi are with her, right?" huffed Amu, tired after climbing the second flight of stairs – she then Chara-Changed with Ran to make it a bit easier._

"_Yeah and...Ikuto and Yoru," she added meekly, a small grin on her face._

"_Ikuto?" echoed all of them, with the exception of Rima and Kairi, in confusion and shock._

"_Yep, Ikuto," she nodded, leading them inside._

}-{

Sakura hated feeling useless.

When she woke up early in the morning, she had attempted to get up to get something to fill her empty stomach, only to discover that her entire body ached, not to mention her pounding head. She felt so cold, even with her thick blanket that she didn't remember putting over herself and long pyjamas that she didn't remember changing into, that she was shivering violently as a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Soft breathing caught her attention and she opened her eyes; it was harder to do than she could recall from previous mornings, as her eyelids were heavy and, when open, her eyes felt as though someone were shining a bright light right at her pupils. Ignoring this for the moment, and curious about the source of the breathing, the girl let her head fall to the side and a blurred image was what she was greeted with.

The blur had a white shirt and a sandy head – hair – but that was all she could make out. Blinking a few times, the blur began to become more focused and she was surprised to see Kukai slumbering by her bedside – she would later blame her sleep-hazed brain for not completely freaking and kicking him away from her that instant, as well as her unusually heavy limbs.

"Awake now?" a deeper voice than expected – not that she expected a voice at all, really – called softly to her. Dragging her skull back round, Sakura's eyes fell on the tall, slender image of Tsukiyomi Ikuto standing, in all his glory, in the once place he was forbidden; her bedroom.

"What're you –?" she was cut off from her obvious, soon-to-be scolding when Ikuto knelt next to her and helped her sit up, propping her against the pillows and holding a glass of water to her mouth. Unable to argue, and feeling very thirsty, Sakura obediently drank the liquid. Ikuto pulled the glass away when she was done and Sakura felt a little dizzy from suddenly gulping the water.

"If you're about to comment on my presence in your room, don't bother," Ikuto sighed slightly, popping a pill out of a packet of tablets and putting it in her mouth, followed by more water. "Swallow," he ordered, Sakura doing as she was told. "We can argue about my restraining order when you're better."

"Better?" Sakura frowned, not liking how hoarse she sounded and the scratchy feeling at the back of her throat that was developing after talking.

"You don't remember?" he raised an eyebrow at her, "You collapsed in the street with a fever; I brought you back here and have been taking care of you."

Sakura recalled her clothing situation and her eyes widened a little as she asked him, "Did you change me out of my uniform?" Ikuto stiffened a little and Sakura, assuming the worst, groaned loudly and attempted to kick him, but with little control over her aching body, she ended up slipping out of bed.

Ikuto caught her before she hit the floor and sighed, sliding her back under her sheets and smoothing the covers down, making sure she was fully covered before he answered, "I didn't change you. You're Guardian friends are in the next room; Amu, the freaky midget, and the orange kid changed you," he assured, seeing Sakura relax slightly. His eyes narrowed, wanting to know why she broke her promise about Easter, but not wanting to stress her out in her delicate state. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"What?" Sakura frowned, trying to process the question, "Oh, um...I guess that's cleaning the classroom...after school," she recalled, remembering how much her head hurt when she had been pushing the tables against the walls so that she could mop the floor.

"They made you clean the classroom?" he scowled, wondering how stupid people could be to not only fail to notice how ill she was, but also to allow her to clean an entire classroom alone. Making a mental note that he needed to watch over her more closely in future, Ikuto looked back at Sakura and noticed that she was falling asleep again.

"I'm so tired," she said, her eyes drooping. Ikuto shook his head at her stubborn behaviour and pushed her back, placing a hand over her eyes. When he pulled it away, she was sleeping soundlessly.

"You can open your eyes, now," Ikuto said in a bored tone as she stretched his arms above his head, stretching his back like the cat he was. Kukai's eyes snapped open and instantly transformed into a glare.

"How is it that you're so familiar with her?" he snarled, standing from the place next to her bed and flinching when he noticed how much smaller than Ikuto he really was. The teenager placed down the glass of water he had been holding and sighed slightly, closing his eyes.

"We're closer than you and her, so you're jealous; am I right?" Ikuto smirked, not expecting Kukai's glare to deepen – if anything, the older boy was waiting for a bright blush and a stuttering denial.

"I like her; you and I both know that," he began, "so don't think you can tease me by pointing it out. I don't like how close you are with her, especially since you're her enemy!"

"Bzzt!" was his reply. Ikuto crossed his arms in front of him in the shape of an 'X', his face blank. "Technically, since she quit the Guardians, I'm not her enemy; or yours, for that matter – you graduated, right?"

"How did you know she quit?" ignoring the question, Kukai continued to interrogate Ikuto. His glare lightened when he realised that Ikuto was right – without her place in the Guardians, they were just two people; they weren't enemies at all.

'_So, she really did quit,_' mused Ikuto, who was actually guessing; he knew Sakura wasn't the type to go behind someone's back and work as a double-agent, so her quitting was the only other situation he could think of that would half-explain her current place in Easter. _'However, if this kid still though Sakura was my enemy, he can't know that she's in Easter,_' he realised, looking at Sakura with a frown. _'She didn't tell them?_'

"Hey!" Kukai, who had been talking, yelled when he noticed that Ikuto was completely ignoring him. Ikuto head snapped in the direction of the younger boy and he narrowed his eyes.

"Keep your voice down," he said warningly. "She's sick; if you wake her up, you'll be in more trouble than you ever thought possible." Taking the threat seriously, Kukai walked around Sakura's bed and out of her room, making sure to bump Ikuto's shoulder on the way out. "Brat," he muttered, rubbing his shoulder slightly.

"Weirdo," Kukai coughed, opening the door and leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"How is she?" Amu asked Kukai, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she stood up from the chair – she had sat where Kukai was before she and Yaya came out while the orange-haired girl was snoozing loudly in the chair Ikuto was previously sat in, Pepe asleep on the arm next to her.

All of the Charas were asleep, Daichi and Yoru included, while their owners were struggling to stay awake. With Yaya being the most childish, it didn't surprise him that she was already sleeping, and with Rima not too bothered about Sakura she was, as expected, on her way to sleep as well. Amu seemed to be trying her best to stay away, but was obviously tired, while Tadase and Kairi seemed fine with staying up – the latter, as it would appear, seemed to be waiting for something to happen, and kept eyeing the door.

"She woke up," he began, seeing Amu's relief, "and Ikuto gave her some medicine. She'll be fine soon; it's just a cold that got worse from not being treated."

"Man, Haruno needs to take better care of her health," Amu sighed, shaking her head and yawning, sitting back down in the chair. Kukai agreed with a nod of his head and settled himself on the floor – a short nap wouldn't hurt.

{-}

When the Guardians woke up the next morning, they heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Upon further inspection, Kukai was not happy to find Sakura sitting on the counter, laughing as she instructed Ikuto on how to make decent pancakes. He was failing, obviously, and there was a big mess, but Sakura just seemed happy to be around him. Walking into the kitchen, Kukai realised that he would have to make his presence known; seeing Sakura so absorbed in joking around with Ikuto stung more than he thought it would.

"Morning," Kukai muttered, drawing their attention to him. Sakura looked over and nodded her greeting while Ikuto lifted him his spatula, only succeeding in getting more pancake mixture on his head. As Sakura giggled at him Ikuto tried to rub it off of his hair before it dried.

"Not funny," he muttered, the mixture now drying to his sleeve.

"Very funny," Sakura smirked, jumping down from the counter and taking the spatula from his hand. "My turn," she told him, jumping when he took the cooking tool back without warning.

"Not 'your turn', Sakura," Ikuto sighed, reluctantly pushing her towards a slightly surprised Kukai. "You're still sick," he said, "so you're going to go with the brat to the other room and wait."

"You'll poison everyone!" she gasped, watching as he reached for the salt and not the sugar.

"I'm not a brat," Kukai murmured, but he was ignored. "You're such a weirdo, Tsukiyomi," he added, thinking that he would still be unheard, but Ikuto turned to glare at him.

"I heard that," he sneered and Sakura turned around tilting her head at Kukai.

"Why'd you call him that?" she asked, genuinely confused. Kukai blushed, but replied nonetheless.

"He's hanging around a sixth grade girl while he's in high school," he told her and Sakura hummed.

"That _is_ kinda creepy," she nodded in agreement and Ikuto sweat-dropped, shaking his head.

"Forget I mentioned it," the older teen grumbled. "Shoo, now," he said, "so I can cook in peace."

"More like kill us in peace," Sakura corrected, rolling her eyes, "Let me cook, darn it!"

"Not going to happen," said Ikuto stubbornly, once again pushing her gently towards Kukai. "Brat, take her to the living room, already."

"I have leftovers; we can eat those," the girl offered before Kukai could take her out of the kitchen and away from Ikuto, only to have a shook-head as her answer.

"No unhealthy person is eating leftovers," Ikuto denied sternly.

"I can get Amu to cook," she realised, turning and going into the living room. As soon as she left, Ikuto and Kukai began glaring at each other.

"Trying to cook her breakfast?" snorted Kukai. "How lame; you failed."

"At least I got to spend some time with her," Ikuto smirked. "Where's your alone-time, hmm?" he added. Kukai winced and snarled.

"I don't need alone-time to prove that she likes me better," he claimed, not liking how Ikuto grinned immediately.

"Alright," he shrugged, confusing Kukai; the boy was immediately suspicious.

"What do you mean 'alright'? Are you admitting that she likes me more?" Kukai questioned, watching Ikuto put the spatula down and move the batter-covered pan away from the hot hob.

"No way," he began, "I just know that I'm mature enough to let it go. Sakura's the kind of girl that appreciates this maturity, which is why she obviously prefers me," he ended, very _im_maturely.

"Ikuto, Kukai, come on," Sakura called as she and Amu walked into the kitchen, Suu following the pinkettes. "Since I'm not allowed to cook and you obviously can't," she looked at Ikuto, "Hinamori's going to make something."

"Right," Amu smiled. "Suu's going to help me."

"Fine," Ikuto yawned, wrapping his arms around Sakura. "We'll go into the living room, then."

"Actually, I'm going to stay here with Hinamori," Sakura told them, tilting her head after she had gotten free of Ikuto's hold on her. The boys shrugged and walked out; Amu and Sakura ignored the loud 'not again' from Kairi and Tadase – Kukai and Ikuto glare-fest, part two.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Amu asked bluntly as she placed the Ikuto-destroyed pan to the side and took a fresh one, along with fresh ingredients. Sakura watched mournfully, knowing that the food items – and the pan, too, most likely – would have to be replaced.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, looking away quickly. Amu smiled knowingly as she grabbed some more pancake mix and the sugar.

"You're not one to hang around people you don't like much unless you want something," the taller pinkette pointed out as she Chara-Changed with Suu.

"I _do_ like you, Hinamori," Sakura frowned, "but you're right. I do need to talk to you."

"What about?" again, she asked.

"Well, you like Kukai and Ikuto, right?" Sakura began.

"Well, kinda," Amu shrugged. "I'm not sure about Kukai anymore, and Ikuto's not been around much. What's your point?"

"I just –" she was cut off by a knock at her door and, when it was opened, loud yelling.

"Where's my Sakura-chan?" a very familiar voice called out, followed by footsteps. Sakura eyes widened and she ran out of the kitchen, her eyes meet striking blue.

She grinned as she called, "Naruto!"


	25. A Blast From The Past

Chapter Twenty Five

Haruno Sakura gulped a bit as she chewed on her lip, nervously waiting outside her new classroom in her new school, situated in the centre of her new town. So far, with her father gone for no more than a week and this being her first day at school; Gakure had done her no wrongs. Her new Landlady, a nice woman named Tsunade, had helped her set up her new apartment – 7A, on the ground floor so the blonde lady could check on her easily – and she had frequent meetings with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the chairman of Gakure Elementary, concerning her enrolment and what she would need.

She was wearing her sailor-suit uniform, uncomfortable in the skirt after being with her father in Finland – in that cold a skirt was a fool's choice. The hat on her head, however, felt strangely comfortable and she felt that she could get used to wearing it. In no time, her teacher appeared – his hair was brown and tied back and there was a scar across his nose, just under his smiling brown eyes.

"Oh, hello," he greeted, not lowering the smile on his face, "You must be Haruno Sakura, the new student."

"I am," she replied, nodding slowly and tilting her head.

"Well, follow me," the man said. "I am Umino Iruka, your teacher, and from this point on, you will be in Fourth Year Leaf Class. Next door to your left is Sand Class, and on the other side is Water Class. There are more, but I'm sure you'll find them later."

"O-Okay," she nodded again, following Iruka when he slid the classroom door open and slipped inside.

"Good morning, everyone!" he greeted calmly, not noticing many of the class dozing in their seats – one boy was completely asleep, making no motion to cover up his snoozing. "This is the new student that I said would be joining us today; please introduce yourself," Iruka smiled, gesturing to Sakura as he stepped aside.

"O-Oh," gulped Sakura, the attention on her unnerving. "M-My name is Haruno Sakura; I was born in Japan, but I've been travelling with my Papa for a few years. I hope we'll be friends," she finished with a bow.

"Look at that forehead!" laughed one girl at the back, her voice travelling across the room and prompting an eruption of laughter from almost everyone. Sakura looked up, her eyes wide in shock, and met the eyes of the girl who had spoken first – her hair was uneven and a shocking purple colour, while her eyes were dark and full of mirth.

"Ami," Iruka said sternly, "that is not acceptable. Everyone, quiet down!" he warned, hushing the class as he directed an embarrassed Sakura to her seat beside a boy with crimson marks on his cheeks that – to her – looked like fangs.

The rest of the learning portion of her school day, until break, went without incident – other than a few meaner classmates of her deciding to practice their aim using her 'monster' forehead as an easy target. Kiba, the name of the boy sitting beside her, made no move to join them and acted as though he didn't find their pranks funny, but other than that seemed to have no intention of being nice to her.

Instead, it was a blonde girl from her class named Yamanaka Ino who stopped the bullies, telling them that they would have to go through her to get to Sakura. Ino was a member of the gardening club and often used empty threats, such as her own secret garden of poisoned lilies, to fight the mean kids. Of course, there were no poisoned lilies, but they didn't have to know that. Sakura thought Ino was brave; Ino thought the rest of the kids were cowards.

"Monster-Forehead," Ami sneered as she poked Sakura's forehead, "why don't you just go back where you came from?" she added tauntingly as her lackeys on either side of her laughed.

"Hey!" yelled a voice from behind the bullying girls. Ami turned around and her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. Sakura looked up, tears falling down her cheeks, and saw a girl with short blonde hair held back with two clips on one side of her head – in her hand were three orange-petal flowers.

"Yamanaka Ino," hissed the purple-haired girl, "What do _you_ want?"

"I want you to leave her alone," Ino said warningly.

"Or what?" laughed one of Ami's friends – the one with red hair, Fuki.

"Do you know what these are?" the blonde mused, holding up the flowers that she was holding in her hand.

"No," said Ami's other friend, a brunette named Kasumi. Ino grinned and leapt on Ami, shoving the flowers in her mouth and jumping back, standing in front of Sakura protectively.

"Those are the most poisonous flowers in the _whole world_," she boasted and, being gullible children, Ami and her gang ran away crying. Ino laughed at their retreating back, but when she saw the shock on Sakura's face she stopped and frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You killed her," Sakura said quietly and Ino laughed again.

"Those were just cosmos," she promised, holding out her hand and lifting Sakura to her feet. "They're completely harmless."

{-}

Just after that incident, she and Ino had decided to become the best friends ever and one day live in a flat together, each paying half the rent, while they worked together in their flower-shop under their home – a typical dream for best girl friends. It was a few days later when Sakura met Uzumaki Naruto. He was another boy who was bullied around the school for the fox plushie he carried with him wherever he went – it had nine tales, because his mother kept forgetting that she had attached one already while she was making it, and he called it Kyuubi.

"Baby-boy, Baby-boy; need's his little baby-toy!" sang the class as they circled the little blonde boy, jeering and throwing around a fox plushie that he carried with him.

"Give Kyuubi back!" he yelled, tears in his eyes. "My Mama made him for me!"

"Oh, his _Mama_!" laughed a taller boy, though he too called his mother 'Mama', as did most of the class. Naruto shrank back, his fists clenched to his chest and tears welling up in his eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Sakura as she and Ino walked past the crowd, ice creams in their hands – chocolate for Sakura and raspberry ripple for Ino.

"Well, that's just Naruto-baka," she sighed. "He's probably getting picked on for his baby toy again."

"Baby toy?" hummed the pinkette, tilting her head. Ino rolled her eyes and took a lick of her ice cream before replying.

"He carries a fox plushie everywhere he goes, Sakura," the girl laughed. "He's such a baby!"

"But, Ino," Sakura frowned, "you carry a daisy plushie sometimes, and Hinata-san has a fox plushie, too."

"Yeah, but we're _girls_," Ino explained slowly. "It's okay for girls to have plushies, but for boys, it's weird."

"I don't think it's weird," the girl scowled at the crowd, dropping her ice cream and rushing over.

"No, Sakura!" yelled Ino, "They'll pick on you, too!"

"Leave him alone!" screamed Sakura as she pushed through the crowd.

She battled through the crowd and yelled at them for picking on Naruto, pulling him away from them and cooing over Kyuubi. Ino reluctantly agreed to let him hang out with them – _just this one_, though this became her regular phrase – and Naruto, after finding out that she had sacrificed her ice cream to save him, asked his dad to serve them up some more when he and the girls got to his house.

{-}

Through school work, Sakura also came to know Uchiha Sasuke – Ino's 'one true love' and the barer of the _best_ red colouring pencil in the school. This last detail is unimportant to most, unless you are in need of a red colouring pencil, and Sakura was not. Unfortunately for her, Sasuke was stubborn in his idea that, if she was _Naruto's_ friend, she had to be _his_ friend too, but _better_. Thus, they met with him forcing friendship on her and, though at the time she was annoyed by his stubbornness, Sakura was later glad that he didn't give up.

"You need red there," a boy said to Sakura, pointing at the picture she was colouring. "Here, I have a red pencil," he told her firmly, holding it out under her nose. Sakura pushed it away with looking up and giggled.

"That's a river," she told him, "It needs to be blue."

"I don't have a blue," the boy said, "so it needs to be red."

"Rivers aren't red."

"They are if they're full of blood!" the boy amended, waving his arms around dramatically. Sakura finally looked up, her eyes wide at the suggestion that she would have a river of blood in her drawing, and then frowned.

"My river is nice and clean," she said. "It's made of blue," Sakura added when he thrust the pencil at her again.

"But this is the best red in the _whole world_!" he cried, holding the pencil up in the air.

"Yeah, but I need blue," she murmured thoughtfully. "I think Kiba has one," she recalled, getting up to ask the boy for his blue colouring pencil. Sakura was stopped from doing this by the boy tackling her to the ground, holding the pencil in front of her.

"I'm trying to be nice!" he yelled, frowning in confusion.

"You're being mean!" she replied, tears in her eyes. The boy got up immediately and bit his lip.

"Sorry," he said quickly, shoving the pencil in his pocket. "Umm – I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he introduced, looking rather sheepish. Forgiving by nature, Sakura smiled and laughed.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she told him.

With their names established, Sakura's pictured turned from a sunny drawing of a field and a river to a post-Zombie-apocalyptic scene from one of Sasuke older brother's computer games, complete with a river of blood. Of course, for colouring the puddles of drool dripping from the Zombie mouths, they still had to borrow Kiba's blue pencil. Sasuke was not happy.

{-}

After meeting and subsequently becoming friends with Ino, Naruto and Sasuke, the four of them often hung out in and outside of school, with Sakura and Ino partaking in many sleepovers and the boys joining them for movie-nights and playtime in the park. It was Sakura's inability to pay attention in her math lessons that drove her to meet Hyuuga Hinata, the young and shy girl in the back with the second-best math grades in their class.

"Are you _sure_ this is okay, Hinata-san?" asked Sakura timidly, looking at the foreboding Japanese-style mansion standing before her. Hinata smiled a little and nodded.

"O-Of course, S-Sakura-san," she replied, stuttering as her own nervous-habit that occurred no matter how she was feeling. "M-My father is g-glad that I w-was chosen as a t-tutor and s-said it was f-f-fine for us to use the m-main house to s-study in."

"Alright, then," the pinkette agreed, following Hinata into the house.

"N-Now, if w-we start w-w-with the s-second p-problem," Hinata began as they sat around the table in the main room, their books around them and their homework in front of them, "then we c-can move o-on to the m-more difficult ones. A-Alright?" the girl smiled.

"Okay, Hinata-san," Sakura agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

They studied in this manner for weeks to come and Sakura's grades improved drastically. Over this time, the girls also got to know each other better, until it came to the point that Hinata became a permanent member of the group of friends, joining Ino and Sakura for sleepovers and such. She then decided that she would host a sleepover, but didn't know at the time what it would lead to.

"Hinata-san," a boy's voice called through Hinata's bedroom door. The three girls, engrossed in giggling over Naruto's latest prank, looked up – Ino and Sakura, who assumed this was the ever-elusive cousin Hinata spoke of, looked confused, while Hinata stood and opened the door.

"Y-Yes, Neji-san?" she enquired. Standing before the shy purplette was a boy only a year older than them, with the same lavender eyes as Hinata and the same long brown hair as little Hanabi. He looked at her two friends for a moment before looking back to the heiress of the Hyuuga martial arts company.

"You father requests that you and your friends lower your voices," he said simply, turning to leave, but Ino's voice cut him off.

"_Really_?" she asked, wrinkling her nose, "Ne, Sakura-chan; I think he wanted to peek at the cute girls his cousin was bringing over," she laughed and Neji's cheeks turned pink as his eyes narrowed.

"Ino-chan, that's rude," Sakura frowned, not taking much notice of the brunette as he huffed and left.

{-}

It wasn't until Sakura and Neji's second meeting that Sakura realised she was interested in boys. It was just after this that Ino realised this, too.

"Neji?" the blonde shrieked; she laughing crazily, her head thrown back, as Sakura tried to hush her. "He's so stiff! And not to mention grumpy!" the girl continued, laughing still.

"I don't appreciate those comments, Yamanaka," the voice of the aforementioned youth cut in and Ino's joy was quickly wiped from her face. She glared at the rival of her own crush and immediately began to search his face for anything that would have made her best friend lose all common sense.

"Hello, Neji-san," greeted Sakura politely and Ino huffed, glaring at him.

"Can I _help_ you?" she asked rudely, "Or do you make it a common thing to walk into flower shops during private conversations?"

"Hardly _private_," he muttered, browsing the flowers on display. Sakura turned back to talk to Ino, but the blonde saw the brunette's eyes flicking to her pink-haired friend every so often. She sighed and decided to take it in stride; at least this way, she thought, Sakura would have a boyfriend and wouldn't feel left-out when Sasuke came to his senses and asked out the blonde.

{-}

When Sasuke's family hired him a private martial arts instructor, he wasn't too thrilled about it. On the one hand, he would be able to learn the same fighting style that won his brother countless competitions and his father's love; on the other, it would take away almost all of his free time, which he would then be unable to spend with Naruto and Sakura. Ino and Hinata he could take or leave, as one was annoying and the other barely spoke to him.

Thus, Naruto and Sakura planned to join him for these lessons with a high-class instructor by the name of Hatake Kakashi. When they met him for the first time, he was less than impressive. A mop of silver hair perched precariously atop his head and a book covering his face from the nose down. The book seemed to have a blank brown cover, but this cover every so often slipped to show a green coloured book with words and love-hearts all over it; a romance novel, perhaps?

Nevertheless, he taught them and he taught them well; so well that Naruto and Sasuke were fighting for the position of Junior National Champion within the year, while Sakura, although skilled enough to enter, was far too shy to use her fighting skills publically. It was at this competition that Sakura, at long last, met Sasuke's older brother, Itachi.

"Good luck, Sasuke-kun," smiled the pinkette, taking Sasuke's water bottle and towel as he prepared for his next fight.

"Thanks, Sakura," he replied, his cheeks slightly pink. As Sakura had not entered, she attended the competition to support her friends; she brought along lunch for them, as well as Kakashi, though he was late.

"Don't lose, Sasuke," Naruto warned. "If I have to face some loser in the finals, I'll blame you."

"If I have to face a loser in the finals," Sasuke smirked, "it'll _be_ you," he taunted, leaving for his fight before Naruto could snap back.

"What a jerk," the blonde huffed as he and Sakura watched their friend bow to his opponent.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, correct?" a voice asked from behind them and the colourful children turned, seeing a teenager that looked very similar to Sasuke's father, Fugaku.

"Yeah, who're you?" grunted Naruto rudely. Raising an eyebrow at the ill-mannered youth, the teen walked closer and sat beside the blonde, watching Sasuke's match.

"I am Sasuke's older brother, Itachi," he introduced himself, not looking away from his brother's fighting as he did so. "He's told me a lot about you; at home, he rarely stops talking about his friends Naruto and Sakura."

"That nice," scoffed Naruto, rolling his eyes a little while Sakura smiled.

"He's mentioned you, too," she informed the older Uchiha, who looked at her a moment and smirked.

"Anything bad?" he asked, "If so, I'll have to tell you about the time Sasuke wrestled our cousin to the ground, just for the last tomato."

"He did that?" asked Naruto, howling with laughter.

"Winner; Uchiha Sasuke," proclaimed the announcer and Sasuke left the ring, walking back to his friends.

"Aniki?" he asked, confused as he took his water bottle from the bench. It took him a moment, and three large gulps of water, before he linked the laughing Naruto to the presence of his older brother and froze. "What did you tell them?"

{-}

After meeting Uchiha Itachi, her other acquaintances were met through association. Uchiha Shisui was the next person she became familiar with, as he was often at Itachi's home to play videogames and the like. After Shisui was Subaku no Sasori and Naruto's own brother, Uzumaki Deidara, soon followed by Kakuzu, Hidan, Pein, Zetsu and Konan. Shisui, as it turned out, was Sasuke and Itachi's cousin – the cheerful son of their less-than-friendly uncle, Madara.

"Ha, I beat you again, Sasu-chan," sang Naruto, gloating about this seventh victory in a row. Sasuke glared at the screen and his character that refused to move, pouting and looking down the sofa to see if Sakura was watching his utter defeat at the hands of the blonde. Shock reached his features when he saw that she was asleep.

"Quiet, Dobe," he warned in a whisper, pointing to the snoozing pinkette. After looking over at his friend, Naruto got the message and silenced his boasting.

"What now?" he asked, knowing that neither he nor Sasuke would want to wake Sakura, but also that they weren't tired yet.

"I'll go find Itachi-nii," the dark-haired boy announced, putting down his controller and getting off the sofa. "He can carry her upstairs to her upstairs to her sleeping bag, and then we can keep playing down here."

"Okay," nodded Naruto, watching his rival-friend leave the room. As soon as he was gone, Naruto sniggered and reached into his pocket, pulling out the batteries he took from Sasuke's controller.

"Cheater!" yelled Sasuke when he returned, pointing accusingly as the blonde as he tackled him.

"Am not!" the blonde shouted back, "Did you get Itachi?"

"No, he's not around," Sasuke said, still glaring at Naruto, "so Shisui said he'd do it, instead."

"Shi-who-ie?" asked the blonde, tilting his head as another Uchiha stepped through the doorway.

"My cousin," Sasuke replied as he rolled his eyes, gesturing Shisui to Sakura's sleeping form.

"Got it," the older boy nodded, reaching down and picking up the pinkette, "So, where did you guys set up?"

"This way," Sasuke said, leading his cousin to the younger boy's room – despite being family, Shisui was still not the best at remembering how to get around the large home, other than the family room and Itachi's room. Sakura stirred in Shisui's arms and her eyes opened slowly, taking in the fact that she was being carried.

'_Probably Itachi-nii_,' she thought sleepily. However, when her eyes took in short, chopping hair and a much different face that she expected, she jolted awake and shrieked. It took all of Shisui's self-control not to drop her from the shock of her sudden yelp.

{-}

Gaara and his siblings were unusual friendships made through Naruto. He had wanted to introduce her to his new friend from Sand Class and had dragged Sakura – only Sakura – there at lunch during school. Surprisingly, she and Gaara didn't get along to begin with, as both believed that the other was trying to take sole possession of Naruto's friendship. However, after things were eventually cleared up, they became civil and eventually Gaara was found every break in Leaf Class, playing with his new group of friends.

"Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto happily, running over to Sakura while holding the wrist of a redhead the girl didn't know. "Sakura-chan!" he said again, stopping suddenly and causing the redhead behind him to nearly trip.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" she asked, looking warily between her blonde friend and this new boy.

"This is Gaara," announced Naruto, pushing the redhead in front of him, "Gaara, this is my best friend, Sakura! Wait here, I'll get Hinata and the stooges!"

"Stooges?" asked Sakura and Naruto shrugged.

"Deidara-nii called me a stooge yesterday," he told her, "so I knew it had to be insulting," he explained, turning and running for find the other three members of their little gang of friends.

"Best friend?" muttered Gaara, speaking for the first time as he frowned at Sakura. She gave him an odd look and shrugged.

"I guess," she replied, not thinking that she needed to explain that Naruto though _every_ friend was a 'best' friend.

"He's _my_ friend now," the redhead scowled, pushing Sakura over and running away. She stood, rubbing her arms, which hurt after the force he used to shove her; Sakura wondered why Naruto would want a friend like that.

{-}

Kankuro and Temari came soon after meeting Gaara, as the older brother and sister of the redhead wanted to meet the first friends their little brother had made since moving to the village a short while after Sakura did. Kankuro scared Sakura at first, due to his 'war-paint' – which Gaara told them was actually purple lipstick stolen from Temari's 'goth phase'. He soon got along with her after showing her some of his puppets and putting on a show for the children.

"Sasori-san?" gasped Sakura as she and Naruto entered Gaara's home for the first time.

"I knew it!" announced Naruto happily, clapping his hands as he looked between the redheads. "Sasori is Gaara's Papa!"

"You dunce," sighed the older redhead, shaking his head. "He's my younger brother, not my son. I swear; Itachi's brother is going to lose brain cells just _looking_ at you." He walked away after this and Gaara glared in his direction, not liking that his oldest brother just insulted his blonde friend.

"How do you know Sasori-nii?" asked Gaara, looking again at his friends.

"He's Itachi-nii's friend," Sakura smiled, "and Itachi-nii is Sasuke's older brother."

"Do you have any _other_ brothers?" asked Naruto, tilting his head, "I mean if you could keep Sasori a secret, is there anyone else?"

"Yes," nodded the shortest of the three, "my other brother, Kankuro-nii, and my sister, Temari-nee."

"Did someone say my name?" asked a brunette as he walked into the hallway, sipping a fizzy drink. Naruto and Sakura took one look at the purple-patterned face and promptly screamed in fear. Shocked, Kankuro dropped his drink and would spend three hours cleaning it under the strict orders of both Temari and Sasori.

{-}

Temari would have great fun dressing up the two-year-younger girls – Sakura, Ino, and Hinata – and while the younger blonde enjoyed the time shopping and dressing up, Hinata and Sakura secretly counted the moments until the 'girly time' was over, but they understood that Temari only did this due to her lack of younger sisters.

"Ooo," gushed Temari, picking up another purple dress and holding it out towards Ino, "this would look great on you!" she decided.

"Really?" grinned Ino, who was glad to have an 'older sister' to shop with, as she had none of her own.

"S-Sakura-chan," whispered Hinata to get the pinkette's attention, "How many is that now?"

"Six for Ino-chan," Sakura whispered back, "but it makes fourteen overall."

"When w-will it e-end?" the shy girl sighed, shaking her head and pressing on.

{-}

When Sakura was told that she was moving away, her heart broke. After living there only a few short years, she had made countless friends and many memories.

When Sakura left, more than one heart broke.


	26. They Just Pass Out

Chapter Twenty Six

"Naruto!" called Sakura, running to him and hugging the boy tightly around the shoulders. Kukai and Ikuto watched this exchange in shock – and jealousy. "I've missed you so much!" she added, her head pounding with a headache.

"What about me?" a deeper voice asked as Naruto stepped aside, revealing another boy – also around Sakura's age – with blue-black hair and midnight coloured eyes.

"Sasuke, you're here too?" she questioned, hugging him as well. "How did you two get here? Why are you here? How did you know where I live?"

"What?" Naruto began whining. "There's no 'how have you been' or 'you look great' or even 'Naruto, I am so in love with you and want to marry you and think you're gorgeous and –'"

"Get on with it, Dobe," growled Sasuke, scowling after he hit Naruto on the back of the head.

"Uhh, right," he nodded sheepishly, "Where was I? Oh, yeah! It's just questions and interrogations!"

"Naruto," Sakura smiled, patting his shoulder. The boy calmed instantly and grinned, holding her closely.

"Your friend called and told us you were sick," he muttered into her hair, burying his face into the familiar strawberry locks. "He told us where you live and stuff and so we're staying until your better or you kick us out; whichever comes last."

"As for how we got here..." Sasuke pulled Naruto away from her, trailing off.

"I found a place to park," a deeper voice than Sasuke's called out as a boy of around Ikuto's age appeared in the doorway. "How is she?"

"Ask her yourself," the blonde and the black-haired boy sighed, stepping away from Sakura to allow the older boy to see her.

"Sakura," he acknowledged.

"Itachi-nii," she nodded back. They remained stoic for a moment before Sakura broke out in a grin and jumped at him, hugging around his waist – she couldn't reach any higher, after all.

"I missed you, too," he muttered, placing a hand to her head as he looked around the room at the people gathered. There were two girls and five boys, not including them or Sakura. The girls seemed fine, all of them looking happy – or, in the smallest one's case, nonchalant – at Sakura's joy. It was the boys that worried him; or, more specifically, two of the boys.

There was one who seemed only a little older than Sakura, with sandy brown hair and green eyes. He was glaring at Itachi for being close to Sakura. Then there was the older boy, the one who appeared to be around Itachi's age with dark blue hair and almost violet-blue eyes who was staring at Sakura with eyes filled with emotions that Itachi could not distinguish.

"Who are these people?" asked Itachi, letting go of Sakura as she stepped back, turning to look at the Guardians and Ikuto.

"These are my...friends," she decided. "Hinamori Amu is in the kitchen at the moment, but this is Mashiro Rima and Yuiki Yaya," Sakura told them as the girls nodded or smiled at their names being called. "The boys are Hotori Tadase, Sanjo Kairi, Soma Kukai and Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

'_Tsukiyomi Ikuto, hmm?_' mused the older Uchiha boy. _'Even his name seems to show his darker personality._'

"You guys, this is Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke and his older brother Itachi-nii," she told her new friends. "Sasuke and Naruto are my best friends, and Itachi-nii and I are pretty close too, I guess."

"Pretty close?" smiled Tadase, commenting on her calling him '-nii'.

"Are these the people you hung out with before you moved here?" Ran asked her with sparkling eyes.

"Yes," Sakura replied with a smile.

"What did you say, Sakura-chan?" questioned Naruto. He was sure she said 'Yes', but no one had asked a question. Sakura blinked and looked at him for a moment before she realised that Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto had no Shugo Charas and, therefore, couldn't see or hear them.

"Nothing, Naruto," she replied, waving a hand. Itachi seemed to smile, but he turned away before she could be sure.

"Breakfast is ready!" Amu called as she and Suu came out of the kitchen, holding two plates of hot pancakes in each hand – Suu's personality, of course, giving her the ability to do this. "One for Haruno, one for Yaya, one for Rima, and one for me," she smiled. "The rest are in the kitchen, but I'm afraid I didn't make any for you three."

"That's fine," Itachi replied with a small smile as Amu's face exploded in a red blush. "We are unexpected guests, after all. It would be rude to assume we would have meals prepared."

"Yeah, so don't worry about it," Sasuke added, waving his hand in dismissal as Amu looked at him, her cheeks further reddening at the sight of the beautiful boy.

"But I'm hungry!" whined Naruto as the pink-haired Joker turned to him, her red cheeks fading to pink; he was cute, but nothing compared to the Uchiha duo.

"You're always hungry, Dobe," Sasuke sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"How is everyone?" Sakura asked the boys as she sat down with them, Sasuke on her left and Naruto on her right. "How's Ino-pig, and Hinata-chan? What about Tenten-sempai, a-and Temari-nee?" the excitement and joy in her tone didn't go unnoticed by the Guardians, Kukai and Ikuto. Her face was flushed, not only with happiness but also her fever returning – though she took no notice of this as she continued to look at her old friends.

"The girls are fine," Naruto grinned, "but they threw a hissy fit when they heard we were coming to see you without them."

"And...Neji-sempai?" asked she, her voice quieter as a small dusting of pink traced her cheeks and nose. Kukai and Ikuto's eyes widened, memorising this name so that they knew who to destroy should more faces from her past ever pop back into her life, like these three.

"I don't know what you see in that guy," grumbled Sasuke while Naruto assured her that 'the white-eyed weirdo is fine'.

"Everyone else is fine, too," Naruto added, "The guys are doing good, but every missed the little rice balls you'd make on Fridays."

"It's great that they're doing well," she sighed in relief, "and the others?"

"We older ones are fine too, Sakura," Itachi cut in, smoothly sitting between her and Sasuke while his younger brother growled. "Though your cooking is sorely missed with us as well, and Konan-san no longer has a 'little sister' to coo over, we make do with store-bought lunches and our memories," he sighed dramatically as Sakura giggled.

"Did she just giggle?" a shocked Amu questioned, poking Kukai in the side. He too was shocked, as was everyone else. This wasn't the Haruno Sakura they knew; the girl who masqueraded as a boy for the first year of her life there; the girl who quit the Guardians because – although she would never admit it – she couldn't deal with Nadeshiko and Kukai being replaced.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" Itachi then asked, but before Sakura could answer his phone rang. He turned away to answer it, explaining briefly that it was Mikoto – his and Sasuke's mother – just checking in to make sure they arrived.

She smiled at the thought of Mikoto, though they couldn't see it, and blinked. It was obvious she hadn't completely recovered, as she was beginning to feel faint again; the excitement of seeing her best friends – Naruto, Sasuke – together with seeing the closest thing to a 'big brother' she ever had – Itachi – was all too much for the still-sick girl.

Glancing around, the smiling face of Naruto being the first thing she saw. He blurred and she swept her eyes across to Sasuke and Itachi, though now they only resembled a strange blob of dark colours. Tadase and Amu made a painful swirl of pink and blonde as she looked at them and Yaya's bouncing was making her head ache. Rima and Kairi, standing off to the side, were now nothing more than large blurs of colour and as she turned to Kukai and Ikuto, she saw their concerned faces.

The sound of Itachi on the phone became nothing but noise as she fell forwards.

Darkness ensued.

{-}

"I told you she was still sick," Ikuto hissed at Kukai, who had been the one to state that morning that she was fine and he – Ikuto – could leave.

"I don't understand why you're still here!" Kukai yelled – as quietly as he could – in reply.

"I care about her," the black cat admitted quietly, but Kukai didn't catch it.

"What did you say?" he asked, frowning. Ikuto looked up at him and sighed.

"I said, I'm concerned about her health," he lied. "She fainted into _my_ arms, remember?"

"I mean 'why are you here' in the living room, when those three guys are in her room with her," the younger boy elaborated, crossing his arms while ignoring Ikuto's last comment. Ikuto glared at him and snarled.

"They knew her first and haven't seen her in a while," he growled. "If she wakes up and finds us with her, she'll be okay. If she wakes up and sees them, she'll be happy. I'd rather her be happy and with them than just 'okay' and with you or I."

"I see," Kukai murmured, looking to Sakura's room. "I hope she gets better soon."

"As do I," Ikuto sighed.

The day went on and the Guardians left – Rima first, then Tadase and Kairi, and then Amu, who dragged a less-than-happy Yaya with her. Kukai wanted to stay longer, but when Ikuto started to leave he knew it would be pointless to be stubborn and stay. Sakura deserved to catch up with her friends without being overwhelmed by the amount of people in her apartment.

"Get well soon, Sakura," Ikuto whispered as he walked out of the apartment building, Kukai just ahead of him. "Let's go, Yoru," he called to his Chara, who had been rather upset that he had to leave Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari; they were a little put-out by his and Ikuto's leaving as well, but knew that Sakura needed as few people around her as possible for her health to improve.

{-}

"So then, Akamaru jumped on Kakashi-sensei's head and –!"

"Naruto, be quite," Sasuke hissed, hitting the blonde over the head. "She's still sick. The last thing we need is for you to make her faint again."

"I didn't faint," Sakura laughed, "I just passed out," she added, her eyes widening when she remembered something.

"_Men don't faint – they just pass out!" Kukai said, defending himself._

"Um," she began, catching their attention, "where did the others go?"

"The older guy said everyone was going home," Sasuke grunted, uninterested in her friends and only concerned with how his only female friend was doing. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"No, I'm fine," she smiled. "Hinamori's pancakes filled me up, and I'm still pretty sick, so..."

"Right," he nodded, feeling oddly useless. It was strange, since she had always seemed to rely on him and Naruto when she was sick. To have other people do so, leaving him to do nothing, felt...too different.

"Now I know why you're so reluctant to admit your feelings for Kukai and Ikuto, Saku-chan," Katsumi giggled, floating between Itachi and Sasuke. The older Uchiha's cheek twitched, but Sakura ignored it. Mari, who had taken a place just over Naruto's shoulder, grinned.

"They _do_ have a certain appeal," she agreed, looking only at the blonde.

"However, they are not at all like Soma-san and Ikuto-san," Setsuko – who, surprisingly, was more inclined to push her owner in the direction of Ikuto than Kukai – cut in, just so that Sakura didn't forget the boys. They were, after all, the people of her present and would _not_ be replaced by people of her past.

"I guess," Sakura shrugged, once again speaking to her Charas without thinking; she was, after all, used to being around people who had, or know of, Shugo Charas.

"You guess...what?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. Mari back off when he moved his arm over his shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck. "No one said anything, Sakura-chan."

"Oh, they didn't?" she asked, looking around nervously. "I-I guess...I'm just _tired_ – yeah, I'm tired." Her nervous laughter gave away her lie but, not wanting to cause any stress, the boys accepted her answer.

"Alright, we'll wait in the living room," Itachi said, accepting her answer far too easily, before either of the younger boys could speak. "Have some rest and call for us when you wake up. I'll run down to the shop and pick up something easy to cook for dinner, okay?"

"Sure," Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Itachi-nii."

"No problem," he sighed, ushering the boys out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, Sakura turned to her Charas.

"I think you three should stay with one of the others," she said sadly, looking at Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari slowly. "I'll be fine with the guys for a day or two, and it'll be boring for you guys if I can't talk to you."

"A-Are you sending us away?" asked Katsumi, tears forming in her large red eyes. Setsuko's face adopted a worried expression and Mari frowned.

"No!" she denied. "Well, in a sense, but not forever. I don't want to have to ignore you while they're around, that's all."

"It makes sense," Mari grumbled. "I'll stay with Kukai and Daichi, then."

"Oh! I shall room with Kairi and Musashi," Setsuko said gleefully, glad for the chance to stay with the refined samurai-Chara.

"Then I'll bug Yoru! Oh, and give your best to Ikuto, Saku-chan," the red Chara winked, giggling. Sakura's eyes widened.

"You're splitting up?" she asked, her breath leaving her out of shock. "Why? You could all stay together, with Hinamori, or –"

"Saku-chan, Hinamori-san already has to care for four Charas, as well as her mother and father, not to mention little Ami-chan," Setsuko stated gracefully.

"And counting out Amu and her Charas, none of us have someone in common that we _all_ get along with," Mari added. "I don't like Musashi much, but Daichi's one awesome guy!"

"Whereas I think Daichi's too focused on things like _sports_," Katsumi shuddered, getting a glare from Mari, "but believe that Yoru is _very_ c-u-t-e~!"

"And I hold firmly to the opinion that Yoru is a useless annoyance," Setsuko continued firmly, "while Musashi is the only Chara with whom I can find any chance of a real conversation, a possible exception being Kiseki."

"You like Kiseki?" Mari gaped as Setsuko shook her head delicately.

"No, I merely believe that a few particular topics of his conversation are interesting," she corrected. "Overall, he is rather self-absorbed."

"For sure!" winked Katsumi, giggling.

"W-Well..." Sakura trailed off, looking at the window in her room before sighing slightly. "Alright, but I'll call in every now and then to check on all of you."

"Okay!" the three Charas cheered, flying to her window and going outside before heading off in different directions; Katsumi to the left, Mari to the right and Setsuko going over the apartment building and forwards. Sakura watched them go and smiled faintly.

"At least they'll have fun," she muttered, lying back to get to sleep, as she had told the boys she was doing.

{-}

"Yoru~!" sang Katsumi as she flew around, eyes open for any sign of the cat-Chara and his owner. "Yoru~!" she called again.

"Katsumi – nya?" she heard a voice from below her. Looking down, the girl's eyes lit up and she dropped, sitting on the grass between Yoru and his owner.

"Is something wrong?" Ikuto asked, sitting up. Katsumi grinned slightly and shook her head.

"Nope," she stated, "but I'm going to be staying with you for a while!"

{-}

"Mari?" Daichi murmured, opening the window to Kukai's room when he saw the green Chara knocking on the glass. "What're you doing here?"

"Hanging out for a few days, if that's cool with you," she winked. "Saku-chan's friends can't see or hear us, and she looks crazy when she talks to us. So, since she didn't want to ignore us, she let us go and stay with friends."

"What about Katsumi and Setsuko?" the sporty Chara asked, looking around her to see if they were coming in next.

"They're staying with the others," Mari explained. "Katsumi's with Yoru and Setsuko's with –"

{-}

"Musashi," Setsuko greeted with a tilt of her head. The samurai bowed back and Kairi looked between his Chara and the ex-Yin Joker's rose.

"W-What are you doing here?" the green-haired fourth-grader asked, nervously looking towards his sister – she was asleep on the sofa in the other room, while they were in the kitchen.

"Kairi, that is not the proper way to address a lady," Musashi scolded. Setsuko, after spending her life with Katsumi and then Mari, was unaccustomed to someone being scolded for such a small lapse in manners, and smiled.

"There is no need to be alarmed, Kairi-san," she said graciously. "Saku-chan, my sisters and I already know of your conflicting associations with the Guardians and Easter, as well as the identity of your sibling, Utau-san's manager."

"H-Haruno already knows?" he stumbled over his words as they spilled out of his mouth, his mind moving a mile per minute, trying to process this new information as best he could. "Why hasn't she informed the others?"

"Saku-chan believes it is not her place to expose you, as she is no longer a part of the Guardians, but a member of Easter, herself," Setsuko told him, seeing his expression relax and then harden.

"She's a member of Easter?" he frowned. "What does she do?"

"She has not yet completed a task for them, but believes that her job will require either stealth or intellect, as those are her strong-points," the blue Chara revealed. "However, this is not my purpose for being here. I would like to request permission to stay for a day or two, as Saku-chan does not wish to 'ignore' my sisters and myself while her friends are present."

"I suppose that's okay," Kairi nodded.

{-}

"Sakura-chan looked really happy to see us, Teme," Naruto grinned as the three visitors closed the door to their friend's room and settled in front of the television. Rather than give Naruto an actual answer, Sasuke settled for a grunt of affirmation and a slight smirk as he remembered the look on her face when they had walked in.

"Her new friends seem rather likeable," Itachi comment. "Well, for the most part, at least," he added, remembering Kukai and Ikuto.

"They're alright," Naruto said slowly, "but nothing like the people Sakura-chan _should_ be hanging out with – Dattebayo!"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, frowning. Naruto shrugged and held up his hands.

"There isn't a shy one," he counted on one finger.

"Hinata-san?" guessed the younger Uchiha, watching Naruto nod.

"There's no lazy genius," he continued, "or a psycho flower-crazy blonde, or older chicks to smother her, or older guys to coddle her, or real _friends_ who can watch over her! I don't like it – Dattebayo!"

"You forget that she must like these people," Itachi cut in before his brother and the blonde could begin plotting to rid Sakura of her new companions. "The difference in the groups merely proves that she has found more friends and _not_ simply replaced us. Honestly, if there was a counter-part for myself and my friends I would feel most disappointed that Sakura-san wished to replace me."

"Why is your brother smart?" Naruto groaned. "We should have asked _my_ brother for a ride. Deidara-nii's as dumb as a post."

"Yes," Sasuke agreed, "and he's still smarter than you."

"Hey!" growled the blonde, about to tackle this friend when a light coughing sound met his ears. Looking up, the three boys smiled at the sight of Sakura – still dressed in her pyjamas consisting of a baggy white t-shirt and a pair of black baggy cotton trousers – with her hair now combed into a ponytail to keep it out of her face and off the back of her neck.

"I'm feeling a bit better," she told them, "so, how about we go out? We could buy some stuff for later and I could show you around for a bit."

Looking between each other, the boys all smirked at the evil invention forming in their minds. Sniggering, Sasuke was the one to answer with a single, devious word that would end up changing more in Sakura's life than she could have ever imagined:

"Okay."


	27. Angel Wink!

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Sakura-chan!" called Naruto, banging on her bedroom door, "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Almost," she assured him in a light, happy tone. However, as soon as Naruto's footsteps retreated to the kitchen, she slumped against her bed, panting and sweating. "I can't still be sick," she muttered, frowning and feeling her forehead timidly. It was hot.

Ignoring her wellbeing in favour of not wanting to be a burden to Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi, Sakura pulled her body up, onto the bed, and finished buttoning her shirt. She had decided to wear a pleated, dark blue skirt that day, with brown stocking and a matching brown, button-up tank top that split at her waist, covering half of her skirt. Matching the colour of her skirt was a pair of blue cuffs with smiley-faced cufflinks – they had belonged to her father. To complete the outfit, she used an old red ribbon that her friend Ino had given her once to tie her hair back into a ponytail.

"Sakura?" came Sasuke's voice, along with a lighter knocking than Naruto's had been, "Are you sure you're alright to go out today?" he asked her. Sakura stood and walked to her door, opening it and smiling up at her old friend.

"I'm fine," she lied, taking his hand and pulling him into the living room where Itachi and Naruto were waiting. "I just have to get my shoes on," she said, walking to her old black converse and pulling them on, "and now we can go."

"You're sure you're feeling better?" questioned Itachi, raising an eyebrow as he fished his car keys out of his jeans pocket. Sakura smiled brightly in response and he shrugged, leading the pre-teens to his car.

After unlocking it, Itachi sat in the driver's seat of the vehicle, Sasuke sliding into the passenger seat and shutting the door a little too firmly, causing his brother to glare while the siblings put their seatbelts on. Naruto and Sakura sat in the back, the blonde behind Sasuke and the pinkette behind Itachi, with their belts secured as well. After making sure everyone was buckled in, Itachi pulled out of his parking spot and headed towards the shopping district.

"Turn right, here," Sakura instructed as they came to a crossing. Itachi followed her directions and they reached their destination in almost no time at all.

"How often do you come shopping then, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked her as they followed him, the blonde bee-lining towards the video-games shop.

"Twice a week, maybe," she shrugged. "It depends how much time I have to myself."

"So busy, for a twelve-year-old," hummed Itachi with a small smirk. "When do you find the time to sleep?"

"Obviously never," snorted Sasuke, "since she got so sick."

"Very funny," she muttered, picking up a game and reading the back.

"Are there any shops that you'd like to go to today?" Sasuke asked her, putting back his most recent find and watching his blonde friend run towards the cashier in order to buy a game for his computer at home.

"Well, not really," she replied, allowing Naruto to take the lead yet again as they left the shop.

"Did they ditch me?" Sakura heard a small voice question loudly. "How could they forget about me? That's going too far!" the voice cried and Sakura looked around, an Angel Chara bumping into her forehead.

"Watch it!" Sakura growled, rubbing her forehead.

"Did you say something, Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, turning around and looking at his friend. Sakura quickly dropped her hand and shook her head and Naruto smiled, continuing to lead them around.

"Sorry," the Chara pouted. "Ah! You're Haruno Sakura, the ex-Yin Joker!"

"Whatever," she muttered quietly as she blinked, turning away, but the Chara floated in front of her.

"Wait!" she called, putting her hand up. Sakura's friends walked on ahead of her, not noticing that she had stopped, and the girl tilted her head questioningly.

"What is it?" she asked, but the Angel Chara didn't get a chance to answer when someone knocked into Sakura's back, pushing her over. Sakura sat up, rubbing her shoulder and glaring at whoever bumped her. "Sanjo Kairi?" she muttered, frowning at him as he blushed. "Where're your glasses?"

"A-Ah," he stuttered, standing quickly and helping her up, "Ex-Yin-Joker," he recognised by her voice.

"Can you even see properly?" she questioned, looking at his eyes and seeing his gaze was unfocused.

"He cannot," Musashi admitted in a defeated tone. Kukai blushed heavily at the accusation and tried to deny it, but was instead yelling into thin air rather than at his Shugo Chara. Sakura rolled her eyes, but brightened when she saw the blue Chara beside Musashi.

"Ah, Setsuko!" she smiled, reaching out as Setsuko lowered herself to her owner's hand.

"It is good to see you, Saku-chan," she smiled with teary eyes, jumping forwards in a very Katsumi-like way and hugging Sakura's cheek.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he and the other came back to her, having noticed her disappearance, "is this guy bothering you?"

"Who, Sanjo-san?" she muttered, pursing her lips and raising one eyebrow as she considered this. "Honestly, he's pretty harmless," the girl shrugged, not seeing Kairi's blush increase – this time indignantly as he was so coldly brushed aside. Setsuko, knowing that she could not return with her owner, however much she wished to do so, released Sakura and floated back to Musashi.

"I'm in a hurry," Kairi cut in before he could be further insulted, "so, if you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" yelled the Angel Chara, causing Kairi to pause. Of course, to him and Sakura this made perfect sense, but Naruto and Sasuke were looking at him as though he had gone insane. Strangely, Itachi seemed not to care about this strange behaviour. "You're wearing different clothes than usual, and you appear to be sneaking around," she noticed.

"She's surprisingly sharp," noticed Musashi, Setsuko nodding with him in agreement.

'_Maybe I didn't give her intellect enough credit,_' Sakura realised, staring oddly at the Chara.

"This bag is from that fancy shop!" she added and Sakura looked down at the bag he was holding, jealousy sweeping over her.

'_I can never afford anything from that place,'_ she scowled mentally. Then, a thought struck her, _'but...why does __**he**__ have it?'_

"Here it comes!" announced El. Naruto, who had been watching his friend and this 'Sanjo-san' staring into thin air for a while, took her arm and gained her attention.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" she asked, smiling.

"What're you staring at, Sakura-chan?" he asked, rubbing his head. Sakura looked from him to the Uchiha brothers and swallowed hard, trying to think of an excuse.

"I was, uhh –" she cut herself off in order to think, "I was just wondering what time it was, judging by the light," she lied. "I failed; Itachi, do you have the time?"

"I do," he nodded, showing her his watch. Sakura, not really interested in the time, glanced at it quickly before allowing Naruto to drag them all away – and far from the strange boy speaking to thin air. Waving sadly to her Chara, Sakura sighed a little; a few more days and her girls could come home.

{-}

Ikuto's eyes narrowed when he saw the blonde boy – introduced as Naruto – take Sakura's wrist for the third time that day. It was annoying him how this boy could pull her around as much as he wished, while if Ikuto so much as looked at her she would be suspicious of him. Of course, he had never given her a reason to think him strictly trustworthy, but the principle was still the same.

The teenager had taken her out for Dango, and then to an amusement park, yet she still favoured these children above him. Aside from them being old friends and her own age, she should have clearly favoured him! Well, perhaps his thinking was more than a little bias towards himself, but nonetheless it was slightly discomforting to know that Sakura could smile like that, but had just chosen not to in front of him.

He never knew she could smile like that...

Rather than a corner of her mouth tilting upwards, it was bent from the middle into a U, her eyes creasing with joy as her cheeks flushed and she giggled – the giggling really hit him hard. If he had known that these boys could make her so happy, he would have made sure they'd visiting long ago, when she was sad about her father not visiting her, or when she had lost her job because of Mari disappearing, or –

"Wait a minute," he smirked, looking behind him at Katsumi and Yoru – the two were chatting happily, with Yoru telling Katsumi all kinds of stories about his life as a Neko-Chara, "they don't even know Shugo Charas exist," the teenage Easter agent continued, suddenly glad. The three little Charas was something he shared with Sakura, something her old friends would never know.

Feeling a little better about leaving Sakura with her friends, Ikuto thought about just going to sit on a hill, watching the clouds rolling by, when another pinkette appeared by the fountain to his right, a certain Kiddie King beside her. Well, since he'd promised not to bug Sakura for a short time, there was nothing stopping him from annoying another, though far less entertaining, pink-haired child.

{-}

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're okay?" asked Naruto, nudging her side and prompting her to look up from her out-of-it-state.

"Huh?" she murmured, blinking. Looking at the boys around her, Sakura frowned a little; for a moment, she had felt like she was being watched. "Yeah, Naruto-kun, I'm fine!" she assured him, winking as she grinned in his direction.

"Good," he nodded. "So, do you want some ice cream, Sakura-chan?"

"There's a vendor just over there," Sasuke inputted, pointing behind them stoically. "They have your favourite; chocolate."

"They have strawberry, too!" cheered Naruto, throwing a celebratory fist in the air as he jumped for joy. Sasuke smirked, shaking his head as he snorted.

"No self-respecting man willingly eats pink ice cream," he said in amusement as Naruto stopped jumping and glared.

"It's a good thing you're both _boys_, then," Itachi cut in before they could begin their yelling match. "Wait here and I'll come back with the ice creams, alright?"

"No, I want to get Sakura-chan's ice cream!" yelled Naruto, pouting and folding his arms.

"Dobe," scoffed Sasuke, "you'd just drop it. _I'll_ get it."

"No, me!" shouted the blonde, this beginning a very mature match of 'No, me' between him and Sasuke.

"This is giving me such a headache," groaned Sakura, rubbing her temples to relieve some of the pain. Itachi looked down at her in concern and frowned, digging out his wallet and pulling enough money from it to pay for four ice creams.

"Here," he said to the boys, handing Sasuke the money, "you can _both_ go. Get one chocolate for Sakura, one mint for me, a vanilla for you, Sasuke, and Naruto can have his strawberry. We'll meet you over by the fountain, and _don't_ hurry back," he warned, casing a significant look at Sakura, who was still holding her head. Getting the picture – and knowing Itachi had _no_ romantic interest in Sakura – the boys nodded and went to buy the frozen treats.

"Thanks," Sakura sighed, smiling up at her surrogate older brother.

"My pleasure," he chuckled, also feeling the lift of tension now that the arguing boys had been dismissed. "Come on, I told them we'd wait by the fountain," he said to her as they began walking towards it. "I heard about your father; I'm sorry," the teen said softly, looking down at the girls as she bit her lip and began to reply.

"Can't we just –?"

"My mood changes with my tail," Sakura heard a deep voice from ahead say calmly and she froze, cutting herself off.

"Oh, no," she gulped.

"What is it, Sakura?" asked Itachi, raising an eyebrow at the girl as she bit her lip.

"I'd know that voice anywhere," she sighed, but tensed up again when she heard the call of 'Holy Crown'. Running to the sounds of attack, Sakura paused only to turn to Itachi and yell, "Wait here! I'll be right back!"

"Ah!" she heard a familiar Chara exclaim, "I found her!"

"El?" muttered Sakura, frowning as she followed the Chara's line of sight. "It's Hinamori!" she realised, seeing the girl standing to the side of the battling duo – the Cat and the King.

"Saku-chan," greeted Setsuko, floating to her owner.

"Saku-chan?" repeated Katsumi, who was floating on the other side of the area they had gathered; her eyes lit up when she saw the small pinkette. "Saku-chan!" she yelled, barrelling towards her owner and hugging her cheek.

During this fuss, El had somehow gotten over to Amu and made her transform with the Angel Chara, becoming Amulet Angel. Sakura looked over the outfit, complete with nightgown-like dress and ice-cream holder. It was only after Amu had announced that all 'issues with love are best left to Amulet Angel' did Sakura reach her breaking point and burst out laughing, her two present Charas giggling along with her.

"I-Is this even possible?" stuttered Amu and Sakura hummed.

"Well, _I_ transformed with Yoru, remember?" she inputted, regretting it when Ikuto looked over at her with amusement on his face.

"Really?" he grinned, looking between her and his Chara. "How...interesting," he chuckled as Sakura scowled at him.

"Let's go, Amu-chan!" announced El, forcing Amu to use her 'attack'.

"Angel Wink!" cried Amu, spinning around with the ice cream holder in front of her, winking at Tadase and Ikuto. Sakura bit her lip to refrain from laughing, but couldn't help a small giggle when Amu freaked out. Ikuto soon joined her joy and the two laughed loudly.

"Don't laugh!" demanded Tadase angrily, defending Amu.

"Don't ask the impossible, Kiddie King," Ikuto chuckled.

"Hmm, try again!" proclaimed El as she flew out of Amu and approached Sakura, who's eyes widened. "She who can transform with other Charas also, I shall use you!"

"Don't you dare!" growled the pinkette, thinking of the embarrassment Amu had just suffered.

"Sakura no Kokoro: Unlock!" El yelled loudly and Sakura flinched when they were surrounded by light. El flew towards her, sticking her tongue out as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with white light and her hair fell out of the ribbon that was holding it, floating around her. Soft pink light formed around her as Sakura twirled slowly, the light falling off to reveal a baby pink dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and white lace around the collar, leading on to a sparkling sheer lining. Another layer of lace formed around her waist, holding a skirt of sheer fabric – sparkling brightly – that fell just below her dress.

The sparkles on her feet fell away to reveal a pair of pink ballet shoes, laced to her ankles and tied tightly. Her hair pulled itself back up into half a ponytail on top of her head, secured with a pink ribbon, and a pair of small pink wings sprouted from her back, flexing as she jumped up, landing with her arms behind her back and a smile stretched across her angelic face.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Angel!" she and El called at the same time, still smiling.

"Just perfect," murmured Sakura, looking over her outfit in mild distained mixed with a lot of hate for the baby pink tones that matched her hair.

"Why do you get to look so cute?" wailed Amu, seeing the less frilly and more mature outfit El had equipped Sakura with.

"El transformed with _my_ Saku-chan?" roared Katsumi, snarling.

"Ahem," coughed Setsuko.

"El transformed with _our_ Saku-chan?" she corrected with the same ferocity.

"Welcome to our world," muttered Ran, Miki and Suu.

"Hmm," considered Ikuto as he walked over and circled her. "Very cute," he smirked.

"Shut up," Sakura warned through gritted teeth. "El, stop this right now!"

"Why?" demanded El. "You must show the power of love is strong! Quick, Sakura-san; Angel Wink, now!" she yelled.

"Never!" panicked Sakura, forcing all of her energy on removing El before the Chara could make her perform that move. As soon as the small Chara was out of her, thus ending the transformation, Sakura groaned and fell forwards – Ikuto caught her, his eyes widening.

"The transformation put a strain on her condition," he realised, seeing her flushed face.

"Sakura!" a young man called as he ran over to them – coming closer, they recognised him as Uchiha Itachi.


	28. Letting Go

Chapter Twenty Eight

Itachi and Ikuto glared at each other across the pavement – the Uchiha was concerned for the well-being of his little surrogate sister, while the Tsukiyomi saw him as a threat. Amu, Tadase and the Charas surrounding them wisely kept out of the staring-contest. Ikuto tightened his grip on the unconscious girl, knowing exactly what it looked like to the newcomer, who would only see Sakura, knocked-out and in the arms of a teen he didn't trust to begin with.

"What happened?" asked Itachi, his eyes narrowed as he attempted to make sense of the situation.

"Nothing that concerns you," Ikuto replied, his grip on Sakura tightening as Itachi stepped forwards. "She's fine."

"No, she isn't," the Uchiha stressed, not moving any closers. "She's passed out and still sick; she needs to be in bed, not out on the streets."

"Then I'll take her," growled Ikuto, not loosening his hold on Sakura. He turned and headed towards Sakura's apartment, Itachi falling into step beside him. "I thought you had a younger brother and his friend to watch over," the blue-haired teen reminded. Itachi whipped out his phone and texted Sasuke.

"Taken care of," he said breezily, "They'll meet us at my car. It's just around the corner, we can drive her home."

"You drive?" Ikuto frowned.

"You don't?" Itachi smirked.

"Nng," Sakura mumbled, shifting in Ikuto's arms as her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Ikuto?" she said in barely a whisper, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Ikuto mentally counted to three before; "Ikuto?" she screamed, leaping away from him. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Ikuto replied.

"Is she still sick?" whimpered Katsumi, hovering over Ikuto's shoulder.

"She'll be fine," replied Itachi. Everyone froze and turned to the older Uchiha, who was casually checking his phone. "What?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Itachi-nii?" gasped Sakura, looking between her surrogate brother and her Charas, "You can see them?"

"Of course I can," he nodded. "You can come out now, Kisame," the teen called as a blue, Shark-like Chara appeared from inside Itachi's jacket. Sakura and Ikuto watched in shock as it sat on Itachi's shoulder, a sharp-toothed grin on its face. "Sakura, this is my Chara, Kisame," Itachi introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Kisame said in a, surprisingly, well-mannered way. When Sakura didn't reply, Itachi chuckled.

"Shocked?" he mocked, tapping her chin in a brotherly way. "Don't be; I guess you didn't think about it because he was born before you moved to Gakure."

"How old were you?" asked Sakura, finally finding her voice and shifting her gaze from Kisame back to Itachi. He placed a hand on his chin and hummed, his eyes flicking to his left.

"Around seven, I think," he nodded. "You would have been two; in Australia at that point, right? With Kathleen-san?" the boy continued with a sad smile on his face when he mentioned her mother. Sakura nodded and Ikuto scowled – he was jealous that Itachi knew Sakura's life off the top of his head while the cat-teen himself was left guessing and scrambling for information.

"Does anyone else have one?" she asked, the thought coming to her mind quite suddenly.

"Well, Uncle Madara does," Itachi hummed. "Tobi has been with Madara for as long as I can remember; even before I could see and hear Shugo Charas, I would notice Uncle Madara talking to his 'imaginary friend', as my father called it. Also, Nagato has a Chara named Pein, who likes to think of himself as some sort of God."

"What about Sasori-nii and Kankuro-nii?" she asked excitedly, "They would _always_ talk to themselves."

"Yes," Itachi smirked, recalling fondly the moment when Sakura asked him if Sasori and Kankuro were insane. "Sasori's Chara is called Hiruko, and Kankuro's is named Karasu. I believe, actually, that Sasori received his Chara before Kisame was born, and Karasu was born a year or two before you arrived in Gakure. Zetsu actually has two – Dark and Light are their names, and they look just like him but Light his pure white in colour, like paper, while Dark is black as a clear night sky. They're a little like angel and devil Charas, but worse – _both_ are always trying to convince him to eat meat and such, despite Zetsu being a vegetarian."

"Wow," she gasped in awe, looking at Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, "I can't believe they were there all along and I didn't notice them."

"Well," Ikuto cut in, "don't you think we should be going? Scowl-boy and blondie have probably been waiting for a while already."

"I suppose," Itachi said, glaring at the same-aged teen, "Sakura, we were going to take the car back to your apartment, since you still seem to be a little sick."

"Oh, okay," agreed the oblivious pinkette, walking between Itachi and Ikuto and heading towards Itachi's car. "Do Naruto and Sasuke have...?" she trailed off, looking up at the older Uchiha. Itachi smiled.

"No," he told her.

{-}

"What about that Tsukiyomi guy?" asked Naruto; they were both leaning on Itachi's car as he and Sasuke waiting for the older Uchiha and their friend to return. "He seems kinda suspicious."

"He likes her, obviously," replied Sasuke, rolling his eyes. "It's like the Kankuro-situation all over again."

"Didn't Kankuro end up getting his butt kicked by Itachi?" the blonde chimed in, tilting his head. Sasuke smirked, spotting his brother and Sakura, and also Ikuto, walking towards them.

"Exactly," he responded, pushing off the car and standing straight – Itachi hated it when people leant on his car. His expression changed from gloating to worry when he saw that Sakura was being supported by Ikuto. "What happened?" he asked, hurrying forwards to help her.

"She passed out for a while," Itachi replied, unlocking his car. Naruto and Sasuke helped Sakura into the back, sitting her between them, while Ikuto moved to take the passenger seat. "What are you doing?" asked Itachi, raising an eyebrow at the other teen. Ikuto paused.

"Coming with you," he told the Uchiha. Itachi shook his head and Ikuto frowned, glaring, "Why not?"

"Because it's my car," Itachi shrugged, pulling out of his parking spot and making Ikuto back away from to car. He drove off, looking at the deflated high school student in his rear-view mirror. Rolling his eyes slightly, Itachi looked back to see Sakura being coddled by his brother and the blonde.

"I'm fine, really," she smiled, trying to reassure them but they only looked at her sceptically. "Please, don't fuss," the girl tried again.

"Save your breath, Sakura-chan," Naruto laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "We're gonna keep on worrying about you, no matter what!" he laughed.

"I should have realised that you weren't well enough to leave your house," the younger Uchiha sighed, scolding himself mentally. "Why didn't you tell us you were still feeling sick?"

"I-I –" the pinkette bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "I didn't want to trouble you guys," she whispered at last. Sad looks fell across the faces of her two best friends.

"Sakura-chan, you have no idea how much we're been worried about you," said Naruto quietly, taking closest hand in his. "We heard about your dad," he added solemnly, watching as a look of anguish covered Sakura's expression.

"After that," Sasuke cut in, "we've wanted to come and see you. It wasn't really possible at the time, because Itachi was at college and Deidara had been arrested for illegal possession of firecrackers, so we had no one to drive us up here."

"We know you must have been crushed," the blonde continued, "and you really wanted to cry, but you didn't want to worry any of your new friends."

"But we're here now, Sakura," Sasuke assured, taking her other hand. "You can cry if you want."

With those words, the dams broke and Sakura was flooded with sobs. Her back shook as Naruto rubbed it, trying to comfort her, while Sasuke stroked her hair gently. Both boys' hearts broke at the sight of their friend in this state, but they knew the best thing for her right now was to cry. They felt a sense of resentment towards her new friends for allowing Sakura to bottle all these emotions up – this was probably what caused her sickness to begin with.

"We're here," Itachi told them quietly, pulling into a parking spot outside Sakura's apartment building. The pinkette looked up at him, her face red and wet from tears, still shaking and hiccupping. "How about you go and lie down for a while and the boys and I will cook up something for dinner."

"O-Okay," Sakura nodded with a sniff and the four got out of the car and walked up to her apartment. The pinkette rubbed at her eyes and went into the bathroom to wash her face before changing into some baggy green pyjamas and climbing into bed.

"I'll wake you up when it's time for dinner," Itachi promised from the door, walking in and kissing her cheek. "We can't stay as long as you need, Sakura, so you need to know something."

"W-What," the girl asked tiredly, her eyes drooping from the exhaustion of letting go of her bottled-up emotions.

"Your friends here," he began, pausing to sigh, "Your friends care about you a lot – I can tell. Especially that Tsukiyomi guy," he added. 

"Ikuto?" the girl yawned, her eyes closing.

"Yes, him," nodded Itachi, stoking her hair. "I can tell from the way he looks at you," he told her, "He's in love with you," Itachi stated, looking down for Sakura reaction. He smiled; she was asleep. Sakura was still oblivious to Ikuto's feelings for her.

"Is he really?" asked Sasuke from the door. Turning sharply, Itachi was met with the sad faces of the younger Uchiha and Uzumaki. Closing his eyes for a moment, he nodded.

"He is," confirmed Itachi, "and on some level, she returns his feelings. It just hasn't gotten to the point of a confession yet."

"I wish Sakura-chan never moved here," muttered Naruto, scowling at the ground and clenching his fists. Itachi chuckled, though there was no humour in it.

"You would have never been a love interest for her," he told them, "Crushes, perhaps, flings, even; but never a love interest. She needs you both as brothers, not boyfriends. Do you understand?" he asked. The boys looked at each other and passed Itachi, climbing onto Sakura's bed. They laid down on either side of her, taking her hands and watching the girl in her deep sleep.

"We understand," nodded Naruto, speaking in barely a whisper.

"That doesn't mean we like it," Sasuke added sadly, holding tighter to the hand of the pinkette.

"I'll go prepare something to eat," Itachi said softly, leaving the trio of best friends.

{-}

Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari sat on Sakura's dresser, looking at the three on the bed as they slipped into sleep. They exchanged a sad look among them and floated to their eggs – which Sakura had placed in a padded box on her window sill, so they had a nice view. Each climbed into her respective egg, after gently brushing her hand over the broken Golden Egg of their unknown sister. Settled in their rounded homes, the girls sighed.

"It must hurt," commented Setsuko, looking at Naruto and Sasuke, and then at the door where Itachi had stood.

"What?" asked Mari; her eyes were glued to the jagged edges of the shell around her.

"Knowing what they know," replied the Blue Chara. Katsumi sank lower into her egg and pulled the top over it, closing it. A single crack remained through which she spoke to her sister.

"It's harder for those who did not get to see her one last time," the Red Chara said, ending the conversation. Agreeing silently, the Green and Blue Charas closed their eggs and the sisters went to sleep.

{-}

Ikuto stood in the car park, watching the car pull out and leave. He couldn't believe the sheer audacity of that Uchiha, taking Sakura away from him. Worry built up in his chest, but he knew it would do him no good to go after them, or to turn up at Sakura's apartment. Yoru was snoozing on his shoulder, and he had no idea where Amu and the Kiddie King had gotten to with their own Charas; not that he particularly cared at the moment.

It troubled him how easily these three could re-enter and take over her life. Not in the all-controlling way, of course; but so much so that Sakura was willing to drop everything in order to be with them. He was hurt slightly at the ease she showed in their presence, yet he was always up to something in her eyes. Just once he wished that she had that much trust in him.

Just once; that was all he asked.

He couldn't let her go.

{-}

Kukai stared out of his window desolately. He wished it was raining – in the movies, the weather reflected the mood of the main character. Smiling slightly, he reminded himself that he was not the main character – Sakura was, and she was happy with her old friends in town. Live was good for her now; she had the people she loved surrounding her again.

"Kukai," Daichi said, trying to draw his master's attention, "Do you wanna go outside and play basketball?" he suggested. Kukai shook his head.

"We can't," he rejected. "It's raining," the boy added.

Confused, Daichi look out of the window at the perfectly sunny day, and then looked back at his master. Kukai merely turned around and lay face-down on his bed.

He wanted to be the main character for once.

The main character always got the girl.

Kukai refused to even consider letting her go.

{-}

White eyes narrowed at the target as a boy pulled back the string of his bow. He released and an arrow went flying, hitting the corner of the bull's eyes. Shaking his head, the boy placed the bow down in its holder and walked to the bench behind him, picking up his water bottle and taking a large gulp. It was hot that day – perfect for training.

"Hey, Neji!" someone called from across the field. Neji looked up in question.

"What is it, Kiba?" he asked, his eyebrow rose at the over-excited youth. With a grin firmly in place, Kiba rubbed the back of his head.

"Have you seen Naruto around?" he asked curiously.

"N-Naruto-kun," a quiet voice interrupted, "w-went with S-Sasuke-s-san and I-Itachi-sempai to v-v-visit S-Sakura-chan. She's ill, so t-they went t-to s-s-see her."

"Without telling me?" yelled Kiba, his face showing anger but his voice telling more of sadness. "How did you know, Hinata?"

"They t-told me," she sighed, ringing her hands together. "I w-wanted to g-g-go, but I have a t-test on M-Monday to s-study for."

As Kiba and Hinata continued to talk about Naruto and Sasuke 'sneaking off' to visit Sakura, Neji stared into the distance with a blank look. It was true that he had considered Sakura his friend, and even more at one point, but that was more than a year ago now. She was still an old friend, and he would never forget her laughter or the way her smile lit up her face. It was just...she was the past.

Hyuuga Neji prided himself in having grown out of dwelling on the past. Still, in the back of his mind he couldn't help it. He wouldn't derive some insane plot to visit her, nor would he spend countless hours trying to recall just how she reacted to too sweet tea or her squeal when she got a headache from eating ice cream too fast.

Nonetheless, there would always be a part of Hyuuga Neji that would revolve around Haruno Sakura, just as there was a part of him dedicated to Hinata, and Lee, and Tenten, and all the others. She was not special, she was Sakura; his friend, who had moved away.

Even saying it in his mind sounded too much like denial.

Shaking his head, Neji returned to target practice.

Letting go was never easy.

{-}

After searching the kitchen for twenty minutes, Itachi had given up on finding something he could cook for four. He left the room and walked to Sakura's bedroom in order to tell the boys that he would be ordering in, but discovered the three asleep, curled into each other. Staring slightly, Itachi pondered their connection to each other. How they had, over the years, gotten closer and closer and, even in Sakura's absence, managed to remain like family.

Their relationship was a web of broken hearts and strained emotions, yet it worked like no other. This both amazed and astounded outsiders, but somehow none of the three were able to see a reason their friendship wouldn't work. He knew, however, that the Ikuto development may cause strains that even their steel bond could not overcome.

Leaving them without a sound, Itachi moved to the living room and was about to pick up Sakura's home phone when his mobile rang. Quickly taking it from his pocket, Itachi starred at the flashing screen. It was Nagato calling, which meant that the group would be calling for an update on Sakura. What was he supposed to tell them, though?

Sakura had moved on without even meaning to.

She had new friends, new relationships, and new rivals.

In her world, there was just no room for them in her day-to-day life.

They had become long-distance relatives – always welcome, but only for a visit.

It saddened him, but he had to admit the truth to himself at some point.

There was just no need for them in Sakura's story anymore.

It was time to leave.

He rejected the call.

It was just too hard to let go, sometimes.


	29. Goodbyes And Discovered Secrets

Chapter Twenty Nine

It was quiet in Sakura's apartment the following day. She was in the kitchen, preparing herself and her guests some breakfast. Sasuke, Itachi and Naruto were sat in the living room, all looking equally upset. After missing her for more than a year, they only got to spend two days with her. It wasn't enough, but they knew it wouldn't be possible to stay much longer. Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi and Sakura all had school to attend, and the boys hadn't brought more than an overnight-stay's worth of clothing and supplies.

They were leaving today.

Sakura knew she would miss them horribly. It was hard enough to leave them the first time, but for them to be separated again after such a short time would no doubt break her heart all over again. They had sat with her for hours, until she fell asleep, just letting her cry and cry over her father's death. She felt a lot better because of it, and so she had kept unloading her troubles. Of course, they had, too.

}-{

"_Sasuke and I won't be going to the same school next year," Naruto told her sadly. Sakura looked at him in surprise. The three were lying on her bed, Sakura in the middle and Naruto and Sasuke at her sides._

"_Why not?" asked the girl, looking between both of them with a concerned look on her face. Sasuke sighed._

"_I've been recruited to Oto Middle School," he told her. "Its prestige and success rate are well know, so when I got a personal invite from the headmaster, Orochimaru, my father was so proud. After Itachi left Gakure Elementary for Akatsuki Middle School, and then the High School, it's only to be expected that I go to a private school, too."_

"_I didn't get any invites," Naruto said, smiling sadly, "So I'll be staying in the Gakure Programme and going on to Leaf Middle School."_

"_What about the others?" she asked in a whisper, not wanting either of her boys to be alone._

"_Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji," Naruto listed, using his fingers to count, "Are staying in the Gakure Programme too, and going to Leaf. Neji, Tenten, and Lee are already at Leaf Middle School."_

"_And Gaara?" she asked, biting her lip. Naruto shook his head._

"_He's going to Suna Middle School, with Kankuro and Temari," he told her, his eyebrows pulling together. Sakura looked at Sasuke._

"_Who's going to Oto?" she asked him, worried now more for her dark haired friend – Naruto had listed everyone they hung out with, leaving no one for Sasuke._

"_I'll get Suigetsu and Juugo, from the year above," he told her, a small shrug going with it. Sakura relaxed slightly – they didn't hang out with the two, but aside from Suigetsu's need to drink his body weight in water daily and Juugo's mood swings, they were both nice enough. "Karin's going to Oto, too," he added, rolling his eyes._

"_Good luck with her," smiled Sakura, wrapping her arms around them both and sniffing slightly. "I can't believe it," she whispered, closing her eyes._

"_What, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto; he began nuzzling her shoulder. Sasuke leaned in as well, burying his face in her hair._

"_We were all so close," she said quietly, tears filling her eyes again. "How can so much change in so little time?" the girl asked, crying. Both boys held her tightly, never wanting to leave this moment – a moment when they were all together, and the world could not disturb them._

_Exchanging a look, Naruto and Sasuke frowned._

_They knew this moment couldn't last._

}-{

It was decided when everyone woke up that they would head out at noon, leaving enough time for them to drive back to Gakure for nightfall. No one was happy about the arrangements, and Itachi had been dodging calls all morning – he was still having trouble admitting that this was likely to be the last time they saw the pinkette. Everyone would have to move on, but no one said it was going to be easy for anyone involved.

If he simplified things, Itachi would say that he was upset about the circumstances.

If he was honest, Itachi would say that he was jealous of Sakura's current friends for getting to keep her, while everyone back in Gakure was losing her.

It was the end of an era, and it was difficult to let go.

{-}

Hotori Tadase could not be said to be an idiot.

Concerning the Guardians, he was vigilant and protective. Concerning one Haruno Sakura, he knew that there was much to be desired in the extent of his knowledge. He knew the basics – appearance, name, age, Birthday, Charas, grades, and so on – but nothing personal about her. He was close to Kukai, got along well with Yaya, and knew Amu extremely well considering how little time they had known each other.

Yet, Haruno Sakura remained a mystery.

He never really noticed her when she first joined the school. Of course he had known about her, in the same way he knew about Amu – she was the _Cool and Mysterious_ new boy. Tadase almost laughed looking back, wondering how anyone could have mistaken her feminine face and large green eyes for the features of a boy. This was all he knew her as, the new male student, and he hadn't dwelt on it for any longer.

That day he had seen the eggs in Hinamori Amu's bag was the first time he had really had any contact with Sakura, who was then still posing as Saku. He knew now that her distress on that day was for the same reason as Amu – her eggs beginning to hatch – but back then he had just gone along with what the other students said, that she was mysterious, and he hadn't thought to look into it any further.

After meeting her, him at the time, and inviting her to join the Guardians, Tadase had begun to notice her more. He would recognise that she often pulled away and hid her emotion, consciously hiding her true self from them. It angered him greatly, to see someone with Shugo Charas turn from their meaning, not expressing who she wanted to be. At the time, he had thought he was right about this, but looking back she was struggling through finding herself rather than ignoring it.

When Tadase first encountered Haruno Sakura – as her true self – she had been fighting alongside Amu, as Lonely Heart and Amulet Heart. Both had an aura of power and beauty around them that had forced him to watch their battle with the X-Egg in awe, though it was directed completely at Amu for the moment when she cleansed the egg. Lonely Heart had vanished, and he had not giving her more than a passing thought.

The first time he had actually _met_ Haruno Saku was when Amu had 'visited' his home, and Sakura was with her, seeming utterly amused by everything around her. He was impressed by her composure during the event and how – despite the fact that she and Amu obviously weren't the best of friends – she was still willing to help when someone was in need. Sure, the means of her help weren't the most legal, but it was rather funny. Her cooking was wonderful, too.

Lonely Heart kept turning up, just as suddenly and out of nowhere as before, to help Amu in her fights. Her timing and fighting abilities impressed Tadase greatly, and he was grateful every time she aided them, but found himself getting a little annoyed by how little attention the other Guardians were paying to this mysterious girl who appeared and disappeared without a trace. He was curious, and wanted to know who she was.

Coincidentally, it was thanks to Ikuto that his wish to meet the human-form of Lonely Heart came true. She was the girl Ikuto was taking on a date – at the time he didn't know she and Saku were one-in-the-same. He and Kukai had been hanging out, discussing school work and X-Egg activity, when he had spotted Ikuto and felt naturally annoyed, wanting to stop whatever evil he may have been up to. He was surprised to find the teenager on a date, but even more surprised when he ran into this girl again.

With Kukai once more, the two had decided to stop for an ice cream a few days later – it was guy-time, since the girls were hanging out and Saku had ignored any offers to join them – when they encountered the pink-haired girl. They hadn't paid much attention to her at first, just giving her their orders, when Kukai had recognised her.

From there, it was a case of following on their part and trickery on hers. He found it funny, the way she had tricked the crowd into stopping them from going after her, but had felt a little insulted when she had immediately used Kukai as her ex-boyfriend, ignoring him. He wondered if he was truly that easy to overlook when next to his older friend, and wanted to get to know this girl better.

Nothing else in his friendship with Sakura compared to the shock he'd felt when he discovered that she – he – was Lonely Heart, as well as Lonely Rose and Lonely Fighter. He was glad that he finally, finally, knew who Lonely Heart was, but at the same time strangely disappointed. Tadase had wanted to become good friends with Saku, as his only close male friend was Kukai, but it seemed now that he never would be.

Then there was the awkwardness of his small crush on Lonely Heart – not as big as his one on Amulet Heart, but he guessed that Heart-themed Chara Nari tugged at his feelings more than other types. The crush had never truly faded, but unlike his possible growing feelings for Amu, his feelings for Lonely Heart were _just_ for Lonely Heart. Sure, Sakura was cute, but in more of an adorable way than an attractive way – to him, at least. Besides, he could see how much she and Kukai liked each other, and felt it would be unfair of him to show anything towards the smaller pinkette.

Despite now being completely honest with them about her identity, Sakura was still a puzzle. The most confusing thing for him at the moment was her most recent time away from school, just before the school year ended a few months ago. He had wanted to ask her about it, but they weren't at all close and she had quit the Guardians before he had gotten a chance to properly befriend her. He had hated that she quit, and it made him feel like a failure as a leader, but what's more he hated that she seemed to cut her ties with them or with him at least.

Sakura still spoke to Amu and Yaya, and she never really got to know Rima or Kairi to begin with. She still spoke with Kukai, too, but since quitting Sakura hadn't spared him a glance. They were never close, but Tadase felt that they were close enough that her quitting wouldn't make her ignore him. Frowning, he decided that waiting for her to come around wasn't going to work anymore.

Tadase was going to dig. He was going to find out why she was absent for a week, why she felt the sudden need to quit, why she was suddenly so _close_ to Ikuto.

Hotori Tadase knew Haruno Sakura was a mystery.

He also knew that all mysteries had to be solved.

{-}

Yuiki Yaya was the baby of the Guardians, and she knew this.

Heck, she enjoyed it, most of the time. At home, she was now the big sister, so being the childish once at school came as a relief. She knew, however, that there would come a time when she had to show some semblance of maturity.

Now was that time.

One of her bestest and closest friends was sad, and she didn't know why. She had been sad since the previous school year, when she came back from her week-long vacation. It was unusual for someone to take a week off during term, but somehow Sakura had done just that and everyone on the school board seemed fine with it. Pepe had been unable to uncover anything using her super special detective skills, and so Yaya had to step up to the plate.

With narrowed eyes and a focused look, she marched up to the school records room, in search of Haruno Sakura's file. When she arrived, her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. Already in the room, browsing the H section, were Tadase, Kairi, Rima, Amu and Kukai. Feeling slightly put-out that she was the last one there, she huffed and joined them.

"Ending the Haruno mystery?" smiled Amu knowingly and Yaya nodded.

"I got worried," she muttered and helped them search, her eyes finding the prize quickly.

_Haruno Sakura – Grade 6, Moon Class_

{-}

Mashiro Rima wasn't overly bothered by the quitting of one Haruno Sakura, nor did she care that she may have been part of the reason.

She had plenty of her own troubles and concerns, with her family and with her past, that took a more prominent place in her mind that the problems of the ex-Yin Joker. Yet, seeing the concerned looks on the faces of Amu, Yaya and Tadase when Sakura ignored them and continued her life with pain-filled eyes had struck something inside her. Amu was worried, and that prompted her into realising why she felt a pain in her chest when she saw Haruno Sakura's sad eyes.

She was worried about this girl that meant something to her closest friend.

Rima knew what it was like to hold in pain, and she knew what it looked like; therefore, she knew that Haruno Sakura was doing just that. For weeks she had ignored it, until Sakura had gotten ill and her old friends had turned up. It was curious to watch her worries ebb away and joy return to her eyes, yet buried behind the happiness was still a deep-seeded pain that Rima knew would never go away. If for no other reason, she wanted to make the pain go away because too many people in the world had those eyes.

Feeling somewhat connected to this girl through the pain of the past in both of their gazes, Rima wanted to know more. However, she was never one to go out of her way to find this sort of information unless it was crucial. So, she waited and waiting, and eventually her waiting paid off.

_Ring-Ring_

_Ring-Ring_

_Ring-Ri –_

"Hello?" answered the small blonde.

"_Rima, it's Amu_," the person on the other line replied. "_I'm going to find out what's been up with Haruno lately. You want to come?_"

"Okay."

{-}

Sanjo Kairi prided himself on his ability to gather information.

He was always able to snoop and dig like no other, and his results were golden every single time. However, he usually knew better than to snoop into deeply person issues, yet something had been nagging at him since his call to Uchiha Sasuke, which had brought Sakura's friends to town.

}-{

"_**Hello**__?"_

"_Hello. My name is Sanjo Kairi...I need to talk to Uchiha Sasuke."_

"_**Speaking**__," was the reply._

"_It's about an old friend of yours. Does the name Haruno Sakura ring any bells?"_

"_**...Continue**__."_

"_Something has happened and I believed you may wish to visit with her soon, and so I thought I'd call to give you an address," he said, feeling happy with himself._

"_**What**__?" the voice growled, "__**I thought that happened months ago! She would have called sooner if it was hurting her this much**__."_

"_What are you talking about?" asked Kairi, his interest high._

"_**If you don't know than that's not what this call is about, Sanjo**__," the voice said cleverly._

"_Right," Kairi admitted with a sigh, "She's sick, and I thought it might help if her old friends were around."_

"_**Give me the address**__."_

}-{

Since that call, Kairi had wanted to know what happened months ago. It was before he was at the school, and that already put him at a disadvantage, but it seemed to him like this mysterious event was what had caused Sakura's illness – her stress, worry and pain had stirred within her until her body had surrendered and weakened. To him, it seemed that finding out this problem and helping her deal with it would stop future illness.

Really, with this reasoning, his finding out was for her own good.

With this thought in his mind, Kairi headed for the records room and went to pick the lock, but was halted by someone clearing their throat. He looked up and turned pale, seeing the Chairman stood to the right with his usual calm smile, his hands behind his back and his head tilted in question. Kairi straightened his back, trying desperately to come up with an excuse, but the Chairman spoke first.

"I wondered when you would all become concerned for her," he said enigmatically as he brought his hands in front of him, revealing a key. "I promised I would say nothing, but if you snoop and discover the truth for yourselves, well..." he trailed off, holding the key out. Before Kairi could take it, an arm appeared from behind him and grasped the key.

"Thanks," said the boy behind him and Kairi turned, finding the ex-Jack, Kukai, with a serious look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kairi, neither noticing the Chairman disappear from sight.

"The same as you," replied Kukai, nodding once and unlocking the door.

{-}

Soma Kukai really liked Sakura.

Before, when she was Saku, he had enjoyed her company and thought of her as a younger brother, much like Tadase. After he had learnt of her true gender, this brotherly love changed and his feelings for her grew into what he could only describe as an extremely strong crush. He would never say he loved her, because that would only lead to heartbreak in the long run.

After all, he saw how Ikuto looked at her...

...And how she looked at him.

Kukai wanted nothing more than to take Sakura in his arms and kiss her, have her as his girlfriend and see her smile every day. He wanted nothing more than to keep her for himself, but then Ikuto would turn up and spoil everything. They were close, the blossom and the cat; closer than Kukai ever was with her, and this was enough to stir his jealousy.

Deciding that he wouldn't give in, that he _would_ beat Ikuto, Kukai came to the conclusion that he needed to know why she was so sad since her week off in the last year he spent at Elementary School. The records room was the best place to look, and it was also somewhere Ikuto had no business being – not that he had any more right that the High School student, as he was now a Middle School student himself.

When Kukai arrived at the school, he saw Kairi sneaking around and decided to follow him, his surprise only mild when he discovered that Kairi was also heading to the records room. After getting the key from the Chairman, he knew that the information he was looking for was behind that door, and nothing could stop him from finding out why Haruno Sakura was so sad.

{-}

Hinamori Amu once believed herself to be very similar to Haruno Sakura.

They were both the carriers of three Shugo Charas, could both Chara Nari, were both putting on Outer Characters, and both had pink hair. With so many outward similarities, it was only natural to assume that they would be alike and get along well. It was expected, when everyone still thought Sakura was a boy, that they would even start dating, and when she was revealed the common assumption was that they would be the best of friends.

However, as time went on, she realised how different they truly were. She realised that, despite the minor similarities, Sakura was more hidden in herself, more reclusive, less outgoing – she was too shy to make friends herself, and so someone would have to force their friendship on her before they could become close to Sakura. Unlike Amu who was always looking for some was to gain a new friend, and who would always accept the friendship offered to her first-time, so long as the person was nice.

Amu knew that she and Sakura would never be the best of friends, but she liked to think they got on okay. There was still so much Sakura hid from everyone, though, that it was getting difficult to find their level of friendship. No one knew that Sakura and Ikuto were as close as they were, nor did they knew just how much Sakura seemed to miss her old friends. No one knew why she was so depressed.

With a strict resolve, Amu decided she would find out. The records room surely had something in there that would give her a clue as to how Sakura's mind worked, and what put the grey cloud above her head. However, she was too nervous to think of breaking into the room by herself, and so she grabbed her phone and dialled the first person that came to mind; someone who would be concerned enough to join her, but not enough to make a big thing of it.

"_Hello?_"

{-}

Tsukiyomi Ikuto was angry. He hated that these three, these figures from her past, could come into town, just knowing absolutely everything about Sakura, solving her problems and caring for her. _He_ was the one who had found her on the street. _He_ was the one who carried her home and took care of her. _He_ was the one who loved –

Ikuto stopped his thoughts, frowning. They knew so much about her, and yet he knew so little. If Ikuto were to ever stand a chance against these people, he would need to know everything. More importantly, he would need to know _one_ thing. What had made her so desperate and depressed that she would turn to Easter.

Mind made up, Ikuto grabbed his jacket and headed to the Easter building.

They would have Sakura's information in their employee records.

Breaking in was a piece of cake.

{-}

Seven pairs of eyes in two different locations read their files on Haruno Sakura, the mysterious girl from Gakure.

Seven pairs of eyes scanned over information they knew and information they did not, aiming to find something that would make her depressed to the point of illness.

Seven pairs of eyes found this information.

Seven pairs of eyes read the same sentence, an air of pity and sadness immediately covering them.

_Parental Status: Orphaned_

{-}

Haruno Sakura watched her old friends getting into Itachi's car, their belongings packed in the boot. She waved as they drove away, an air of sadness washing over her once they were out of sight.

She would see them again, of that she was almost sure.

She would never share that same bond with them in years to come, of that she was certain.

Looking up at the sky, Sakura felt tears falling down her face.

"Don't let me forget about them, Papa."


	30. Prince Pushy Pants

**A/N: Hey all! I know I don't usually add a note at the top but PLEASE READ FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT! For those of you who are interested, I have a Deviantart account under the username Kezabee and have posted pictures of all Sakura's Chari-Nari and such :) For those who are not interested, ignore this, I guess ^^;**

**Anyway, without further ado, here's chapter thirty! Enjoy!**

Chapter Thirty

Sakura was glad to be going back to school. She hadn't thought it possible, but she had actually missed going to class. It took up time – time that was otherwise spent on self-pity and thoughts of how things could have been different or better in some way. These thoughts only made her even more upset, even though she couldn't stop herself thinking them. So, she was glad for the distraction that school would give her, if nothing else.

When she arrived, however, she realised that there would be _no_ distraction.

They knew.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Amu, her eyes sad as she and the rest of the Guardians stood before the smaller pinkette. Rima and Kairi were there, surprisingly, as were Tadase and Yaya – though the King and the Ace seemed slightly more determined that the Queen and the Jack looked only a little curious rather than concerned – or, at least, that's what Sakura gathered from his expression. Sakura sighed.

"Tell you what, exactly?" she asked, walking past them towards her class.

"That the week you took off was for your father's funeral," said Tadase, and just like that her wall crumbled.

Her wall had been thick, strong – made of cold stone and enforced with steel and cement. Yet those three words at the end of Tadase's statement made her knees weak and her eyes heavy with tears. She didn't look at them – how _dare they_ snoop around for her secrets – but she knew their eyes would be full of pity and sympathy. This was the last thing she wanted – she didn't need this. All she had wanted was to forget, just forget.

Forget that her fourth Egg was broken, and would never be healed.

Forget that her only memory of her mother was the woman on her deathbed.

Forget that her only gift from her father lay shattered in a broken box on her shelf.

Forget that she would never see his smiling face.

Forget that she would never hear him laugh.

Forget that he was gone forever.

"It's not your business," she choked, and the girl briskly walked away from the five, her hair blowing out behind her and her Charas floating around her. Only when she reached the classroom did she allow herself to cry.

"Saku-chan," whispered Setsuko as she laid her hands on Sakura's fingers, which were splayed out on her desk. "Everything will work out."

"It has to," nodded Mari firmly.

"Thank you," sobbed Sakura, scooping them all up into an embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you three. Thank you for always being here for me, and caring," she said with a sad smile. Releasing her Charas, Sakura wiped her eyes and headed out of the classroom to the nearest girls' bathroom, to make sure she cleared away all signs of crying.

After doing so, the pinkette returned to her classroom – which now had a few more students – and zoned out after her teacher questioned her about her health. Her thoughts drifted to Naruto and Sasuke, wondering if they made it back okay and if they would write or call, like they had promised her they would when they left. She then thought of Itachi and smiled slightly, recalling his own promise to personally tear their head off if they forgot.

The girl yawned slightly, stretching and smiling at her Charas – who were all sleeping on her desk – when suddenly she heard something outside the window, from the sports field. Looking over, the girl frowned when her classmates all ran for the window, gasping in awe and amazement as they viewed the source of the noise, muttering something about an 'exchange student'. Finding no interested in this new development, Sakura took advantage of her teacher and classmates' distraction and stealthily snuck out of the room, heading for the school gates.

"Are you skipping, Saku-chan?" asked Mari with a proud grin, her hands on her hips.

"Not exactly," she shrugged, turning to her Charas as she leant on the gates with a yawn. "I just wanted to get out of there – I was getting a headache," she excused, rubbing her head.

"It would be best if you returned soon, Saku-chan," warned Setsuko. Katsumi giggled.

"No need," she said, pointing to the school as swarms of students left the building, heading to the field. Sakura tilted her head.

"Is an exchange student really so interesting?" she pondered, pushing off from the gates to find out. She recalled the noise from earlier and hummed, "I wonder how the student _got_ here."

"It sounded like a chopper," Mari replied, looking confident. "I mean, when I was hanging with Kukai and Daichi, the helicopters in his videogames always sounded something like that."

"A helicopter?" gasped Katsumi and Sakura tilted her head.

"What kind of new student is this?"

{-}

"Obviously an egotistical one," she mused to herself as she peered around the side of the building, watching an obviously foreign boy walk down a red carpet as his servants presented some of the Seiyo Academy girls with bouquets of red roses. She frowned.

"How delightful," smiled Setsuko, looking at the roses, and Sakura sighed.

"You want me to get some for you?" she asked her Rose Chara, who nodded delicately.

"They would certainly brighten up our home," Setsuko stated. "After all, the flowers we received from Kukai have long since wilted, and our apartment is rather dull without some form of decorative life."

"Maybe I should get a pet," Sakura mused half-heartedly as she observed the tiger by the boy's side in interest.

"A dog," pouted Mari as she watched both Sakura and Katsumi fawn – though the latter did so more obviously – over the large cat. Ignoring her put-out green Chara, Sakura walked over to where the other girls were gathered and raised an eyebrow when a servant presented her with a bouquet. Of course, this is what she came over for, but she hadn't expected them to be so quick.

"Oh well," she shrugged, not being one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, and she slung the roses over her shoulder and moved to walk back inside the school when she saw Tadase approaching the boy. They spoke for a moment and then shook hands.

"Super Royal!" the girls squealed and Sakura winced, suddenly wishing that she had left rather than observe the King's Chair making peace with – she then paused, thinking. If the girls had called the exchange 'Super Royal', Sakura assumed that this new student must be royalty – real royalty rather than Guardian-Royalty, which she then snorted at.

"He has a Chara, Saku-chan," noticed Katsumi with a gasp and before Sakura could stop her; the ever-friendly and welcoming Heart-Chara flew over to the foreign Chara and grinned. "Hi!" she greeted loudly, waving as the new Chara observed her.

"Katsumi?" questioned Tadase, "What are you doing here? Is Haruno-san around?"

"Yeah!" giggled the girl, "She's right over ... there," she trailed off, seeing that Sakura had disappeared, and she shrugged. "I guess she's still avoiding all of you," she said as though it were expected. "Are you royalty?" she asked the young man, who raised an eyebrow.

"A prince, yes," answered Tadase. Seemly pleased with the answer, Katsumi nodded once and flew off, presumably to find Sakura. He laughed a little as the over-zealous Chara and turned back to the prince, who was watching Katsumi leave with interest.

"Are there many Chara-Bearers here?" he asked, humming in consideration.

"Just Haruno-san, our Graduated Jack's Chair and the other Guardians," replied the King's Chair with a smile and the prince sighed.

"Such a shame," he shrugged carelessly, "It would have sped up my search."

{-}

Sakura scowled at the prince – as Katsumi had told her he was – from the window of her classroom. Sure, she had asked for a distraction, but Sakura believed this was taking it a bit far. So far the only thing she'd enjoyed about his arrival was the tiger – though after a while of Katsumi's yammering about cats, her mind kept drifting to Ikuto. The pinkette's face relaxed and she smiled a little, looking away from the window.

"I wonder how Ikuto's doing," she mused, not seeing the shocked faces of her Charas as she pondered the teen. The three shared a quick look.

"Did Saku-chan just...?" Mari trailed off.

"Willingly bring up Ikuto?" suggested Setsuko, "Yes, she did."

"That's a little worrying," giggled Katsumi, "but maybe if they get together, we'll have Yoru around more!" she cheered and her sisters looked on in horror.

"Not Yoru," Setsuko sighed, who disliked the roguish Chara. "Perhaps we could set her up with someone else. _Anyone_ else," she added, wincing at the thought of the Neko-Chara's muddy paws and horrific manners.

"How about Kukai?" grinned Mari; she was already picturing days filled with wrestling with Daichi while Sakura and Kukai shared ice cream. Katsumi – in these dreams – was pouting, while Setsuko was proud of her younger sister's ingenious matchmaking.

"Perhaps not," Setsuko muttered, but was ignored by her obviously plotting sister.

{-}

Sakura sat on the grass a short ways off from Amu and Rima as she caught her breath. Her teacher was called into a last-minute meeting and so Moon Class and Star Class were both under Nikaidou's instruction for P.E. The plus side of this was, as his favourite pupil, Sakura was allowed to stop running as soon as she was tired. The downside – the new student, Prince Shuraiya, was in the class and a pain in her – well, let's just say; if she'd continued the sentence would rhyme.

Currently, he was lazing under a canopy while Saya's minions fanned him and Saya herself presented him with a canned drink. The pinkette rolled her eyes when the minions gushed over something the prince had bestowed upon them – he had been doing this a lot – but had to stifle a laugh when his tiger licked the face of a mortified Saya. She stopped, of course, when she noticed him laughing, too.

"Don't you like Prince Shuraiya, Haruno-san?" asked one of the girls from her class when she noticed the pinkette glaring at him.

"I dunno," Sakura shrugged. "I guess I just don't like guys that throw their wealth around. It's annoying," she commented.

"That's Haruno Sakura for you!" giggled another girl and Sakura mentally groaned at what she knew was coming.

"_Cool and Mysterious_!"

'_I guess it was due,_' she thought with a sigh, recalling how long it had been since they'd said it.

"Cool and Spicy!" she heard from across the field and actually laughed. The girl searched out her fellow pinkette and saw her near the prince – telling him off, if she went by her body language and the look on his face. When Amu tried to storm off, he grabbed her arm.

"Who are you to scold me?" he demanded. "I am Prince Shuraiya!"

"You may be a prince," Amu said, jerk free, "but you're also a person, like everyone else," she added, walking away. Sakura got up and walked towards her and her Charas brightened.

"Are you becoming friends once more?" gasped Setsuko, hopeful to rekindle her friendship with Miki.

"I guess," whispered Sakura. "Hinamori," she called once she was close enough and Amu turned.

"Haruno?" she murmured, tilting her head. "What is it?"

"I wanted to say; it's not polite to snoop in someone else's life," she said and Amu winced, "but I guess you only did it because you care, right?"

"Yes," the taller pinkette nodded, smiling. Sakura smiled back.

"Well, I guess –"

"Muri, Muri!" they heard and gasped, looking up.

"An X-Egg?" gaped Amu. "Impossible!" she yelled.

"Not really," Sakura sighed. "It's right there. And you shouldn't copy them, it's rude."

"Sensei!" cried Amu as she ran, following the Egg, "I have to use the bathroom!"

"Okay," Nikaidou replied, "You too, Haruno?"

"No, I'm skipping!" she called back, following Amu.

"Okay, bye!" he said happily, ignoring the class as their jaws fell at his obvious favouritism.

"Saku-chan," said Setsuko, a determined look on her face.

"Right," Sakura nodded. "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Setsuko flew towards her, twirling as her Egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her in unseen winds. Blue light formed around her torso and Sakura spun, allowing them the sparkles to fall off gracefully down her, leaving Sakura in a white Lolita dress with a blue top-layer and a lot of frills to make it puff out. She twirled and posed as a ballerina would, with her leg extended behind her, thus allowing thousands of sparkles to form over her legs and feet.

The sparkles on her legs fell off to reveal white tights as she lowered her leg and kneeled down, brushing her hand over her feet, leaving a dusting of sparkles over them, which fell off when Sakura stood and kicked out her feet, leaving behind light blue Mary-Janes. Sakura twirled on one foot and sparkles weaved into her eyelashes, causing her to blink them away to revealed eyes that shone with innocence.

Her hair pulled itself up into ponytails on either side of her head as she twirled, curling into very tight ringlets. She bowed her head and a blue Lolita headband with white frills appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, blue rose attached itself to the headband.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Rose!" she and Setsuko called at the same time, holding the sides of her skirt and performing a curtsy.

"Wait!" she heard Amu yell and she ran forwards to catch up, Mari and Katsumi on either side of her. "If I don't hurry up and get rid of it," she muttered.

"People will think you take way to long in the bathroom," mused Miki and Amu scowled.

"They'll get the wrong idea – desu," smiled Suu.

"As per usual," Sakura smirked as she stood beside the taller girl. "You transform, I'll hold it off," she suggested and Amu nodded.

"Right," she agreed. "Ran; Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" she yelled as her transformation began.

"Rose Sansetsukon!" called Sakura as a three-section staff appeared in her hands. It was blue with silver chains and silver links where the sections connected; as she broke it apart to attack, rose petals burst out of it. She grinned.

"A new weapon?" questioned Mari and Sakura laughed.

"Obviously," she nodded, twisting the staff around. "Petal Net!" she called, aiming for the Egg with one of the sections. She missed, but blue petals broke away from the staff and covered the Egg. It struggled to move as the petals held it in place. "Cool," she smiled, but the Egg soon broke free and dodged when Sakura jabbed at it.

"Heart Rod!" she heard Amu yell as the pinkette finished transforming, "Spiral Heart!" she called and Sakura ducked out of the way as the Heart Rod was sent spinning towards the Egg. It dodged again, but a few sparkles from the Rod held it loosely in place.

"Got it?" asked Sakura, frowning.

"It's still moving too much," Amu replied and Sakura nodded.

"Petal Net!" she called, swinging the Sansetsukon and watching with a smile as the Egg was covered in petals and held in place.

"Perfect!" grinned Amu, "Negative Heart: Lock On!" she cried. "Open Heart!"

Sakura watched as the Egg was cleansed and it flew off, back to the heart it came from. She wondered who's Egg it was, and who was careless enough to let go of their dream. Then she smiled, realising that this person now had their dream back, thanks to her and Amu. A final thought came to her then – she had worked with her Twin Joker again, and it just felt right. As she considered this, Amu approached her.

"Why did you help me?" she asked quietly as the girls' Charas flew out, returning them to normal. Sakura smiled slightly.

"I don't know," she replied, looking away. As she did so, she frowned – the pinkette saw the prince walking towards them and turned away. Amu, confused, looked around and spotted him too.

"It is as you said," the prince began, speaking to Amu, "I apologise for earlier."

"Huh?" the taller pinkette answered gracefully. Setsuko hid a laugh at the lack of etiquette, glad – not for the first time – that Sakura was her owner. Both pinkettes and all six Charas – seven if you include the prince's Chara – watched as the prince knelt before Amu. "Whoa!" she freaked, "What?"

"I like you, Hinamori Amu," he told her bluntly. "Come to my country, as its future Queen," he added, extending his hand towards her.

"Eh?" the girl choked, along with her Charas, while Sakura laughed outright, Mari joining in.

"I wanted to be a princess," pouted Katsumi.

"That's irrelevant," said Setsuko blankly, "Unless you wished to marry Kiseki."

"I forbid it," Sakura cut in before Katsumi could respond, and the red Chara pouted even more. "This is boring now," she yawned, walking away.

"W-Wait!" cried Amu, "Haruno, don't leave me here!"

{-}

The rest of Sakura's day was surprisingly dull, though every time she saw the Guardians they seemed to be having fun. It made her slightly upset that she had quit, but when she reminded herself that she would be homeless were it not for Easter, she sighed. Her Charas had gone at some point to join the others and help them – as they had later told the pinkette – search for clues as to the Embryo's whereabouts.

"Call Hoshina Utau here?" she laughed as Mari told her this part of the story about the prince's demands. "That's great! Just when I thought he couldn't get brattier, he's ordering around people he doesn't even know! And wishing for a dragon to help him slay the demon king in the underworld?" she continued, her laugh becoming giggles. "All of this to beat his father – what a brat."

She was currently in town, in a dollhouse shop actually catering to the wishes of her Charas and buying them household sets. Katsumi had wanted a pillow, while Mari had asked for a blanket, and these requests had somehow evolved into a kitchen set, living room set and bedroom set – without the beds, but with egg-holders instead – for the three Charas to use. Overall, it didn't cost much and Sakura could more than afford it with her Easter pay-check.

"Thank you, Saku-chan!" the girls chimed as the cashier rang up the purchase and wrapped it all for the pinkette. She smiled at them slightly, watching their happy faces as they counted the pillows Sakura had bought for them – in various shades of blue, red and green.

"No, thank you," she said quietly, "For being there through all this drama," she added, still smiling as she took her bag of wrapped doll-house furniture and paid, leaving the shop.

_Ring-Ring_

_Ring-Ring_

"Hello?" she answered her phone, raising an eyebrow.

"_Haruno Sakura_," she voice on the other end sounded, "_It is time for you to complete your first mission with Easter_."


	31. Lonely Heartbreak

Chapter Thirty One

Her breathing was quiet, her footsteps light, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she set about her task. The hallways Sakura was travelling down were dark, but far from deserted. A group of ten security guards passed every five minutes, but luckily they were different each time – if the groups had been comprised of the same people each time, they would likely notice a shift in the shadows. This small shift, barely noticeable until someone paid close attention to it, was all that betrayed Sakura's movement through the company.

Haruno Sakura had been charged by Easter to steal five bars of precious metal that would, as far as she was told, complete a machine their scientists had been working on to 'control their resources'. She wasn't overly bothered by the riddle, and so after finding herself primarily confused she didn't care enough to put in any effort to solve it. It was likely that this wouldn't concern her as soon as the metal was in her boss' hands.

The pinkette froze against a wall as another group went by, holding her breath and staying perfectly still. They passed without incident and the girl smirked at her prowess before rolling her eyes when she realised she was mentally gloating and that was incredibly stupid. She searched the corridor for the distinctive marker she was instructed about and, sure enough, the pinkette spotted the door upon which there was a small blue circle.

She darted towards the door, checking under the frame for shadows before very gently knocking and sliding back into the darkness. When no one came to the door, she knocked again – hard this time – and hid, but once more there was no answer. Confident that the room was empty of human life, Sakura quietly turned the handle and crept inside, closing the door behind her.

Sakura reached into her bag, which was slung over her shoulder, and took out a small torch and a can of spray, still pressed against the door. She shone the light around the room and sprayed the contents of the can in front of her and by her feet, but no lasers were revealed. She sighed in relief – they were sometimes impossible for her to navigate – and headed to the other side of the room, to the vents.

The small girl climbed the shelving unit and pushed the grate up, climbing into the cramped vent and replacing the metal grate. She took a deep breath and slid along inside, her torch in her mouth in order to brighten the small tunnel of metal. All she hoped was that they didn't decide to turn on the heating. Moving along for another five minutes, Sakura took a rest at another grate and breathed through it, inhaling cleaner air, and looking down to judge her location.

From the blueprints she had been shown, Sakura would reach her destination in another three right turns. With this knowledge, she took another deep breath and pulled herself along, turning until she found her stop. She peered around as much as she could in the dark room without using her torch or removing the grate and, when she judged there was no one there, she used her spray. Once more she was glad to find no motion sensing lasers.

Pulling the grate off, Sakura dropped herself into the room and spun, searching quickly for anyone she may have missed in her initial sweep. Looking around, Sakura found herself in a room stacked floor to ceiling with metal bars of various colour and texture – and weights, she guessed. She scanned the labels of the bars, quickly finding her prize.

Grinning to herself, Sakura placed five bars into her bag and found a vent, leaving the scene of the crime without anyone even knowing she was there.

{-}

"Haruno Sakura has delivered the items, sir," a woman reported before Hoshina Kazuomi dismissed her. He smirked slightly, folding his hands in front of his face.

"Sir?" one of the three men gathered in the room question. Kazuomi stood from his desk and moved to his windowed wall, looking out onto the city at night before he began speaking.

"Who here had heard of the Humpty Lock?" he questioned, listen to a murmur of positive responses. "Who also knew of the two roles entailed in the possession of the lock?" he continued, though was met this time by confusion. "The Dumpty Key, gentlemen, requires only one owner – Tsukiyomi Ikuto, in this case – as both possessor and protector. In the case of the Humpty Lock, it requires a possessor, Hinamori Amu, and also a protector, Haruno Sakura. Without the protector, the Lock is vulnerable to theft – the protector can sense dark energy and malicious intent from afar, therefore enabling them to protect the Lock with ease."

"Is this why Haruno Sakura was always able to sense X-Eggs?" one of the men questioned and Kazuomi nodded.

"Indeed," he smirked. "The reason I am telling you this is because all of you in this room have, at one time or another, questioned my decision to take the girl into the company. By removing the protector, Hinamori Amu and the Guardians are weakened, and their reaction time is slowed. Before, Haruno would have sensed the energy before the Egg was born, but now they must wait until the Egg is already attacking before they know to stop it."

"Sir," another man cut in, "we have been told that Haruno Sakura is still working with the Guardians. How are we to know that she will not betray us?" he asked and Kazuomi began laughing, turning to his associates.

"Today is a test, gentlemen," he replied. "We will never turn the protector against the fight for good willingly, and so we must use...other methods. If my theory is correct, she will fight today and, hopefully, my spy will pick up on any new developments. I will keep you all updated, of course."

"Sir, what is the use of having Haruno Sakura at our disposal?" questioned the final man before they left.

"Simple," the Director said. "She has the potential for great darkness – you have all seen her, heard her, and watched her fight. If my plan works, she will become a great enemy to the Guardians – powerful, and yet they are all far too attached to her to fight back."

"So, you mean...?"

"Exactly," he grinned. "Haruno Sakura will be the one to bring down the Guardians. Not yet, though. Soon," he finalised, dismissing the men.

{-}

At school the following morning, Sakura was tired.

After staying up half the night stealing and then reporting back with the items taken, it was already sunup by the time she went to bed. This left her a mere two hours of sleep before she had to get up and get ready for the day – while tiredness is overlooked, it would be suspicious that she was late the day after this crime was committed. Of course Sakura knew it was unlikely that would be ever be suspected, but she liked to have her bases covered.

The annoying prince was still present, and her Charas – minus Katsumi, who was still pouting – had once again left to help search for the Embryo. Sakura had been unable to take them on her mission with her, since it would be quicker and quieter for her to go alone, but had told them all about it on her way to school, promising to take them next time if the mission allowed. Setsuko was disappointed that Sakura had resorted to stealing, while Mari thought it was exciting and Katsumi just grinned about Sakura being in the same company as Ikuto.

'_Right, Ikuto,'_ Sakura mused with a frown as she looked out of the classroom window, ignoring the teacher. _'It's been so long since I saw him last. I wonder what he's getting up to.'_

Suddenly, the pinkette felt a dark energy and she bolted out of her seat, heading to the door while ignoring the teacher's yells. She headed towards the source of the energy but paused, frowning. Sakura knew the Guardians would handle this – she was no longer the Yin Joker, and so this was no longer her job. However, the more she tried to ignore it, the more suffocating the dark presence was and she resolved to help them regardless. Shaking her head, Sakura took off once more.

"This way, Saku-chan!" called Katsumi, leading her owner out of the school and into the surrounding trees.

What the pinkette found upon entering was a truly unexpected sight. The Guardians were already there, along with the prince's servant – whom they had called Pearl. In front of them was the prince, his face covered with a dark expression and around his neck a swirling compressed mass of negative energy, disguised as some sort of necklace. Behind him were five X-Charas – one of which looked like a mini-Saya and, finding Saya and her groupies unconscious on the group, she assumed it was their Eggs that had hatched. Above them was a large lamp, inside of which were the Charas, crying to be let out of their prison and unable to escape themselves. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura nodded to Katsumi.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" yelled Sakura, her hands twisting in front of her heart. Katsumi flew towards her, blowing a kiss as her egg closed around her.

Sakura's whole form was covered with light and her hair flowed out around her, to her hips. Light formed around her torso and she clicked her fingers, causing it to explode in a show of sparkles and leaving behind a red silk tank top. Her lower half was then covered in sparkles and Sakura waved her hands to one side, then the other, leaving her in a red pleated mini-skirt lined.

She clicked her fingers again and a light pink lining spread across the hem of the skirt. Sakura then clacked her heals together and jumped up as sparkles covered her legs, exploding away from her and leaving behind a pair of thigh-high red leather boots.

She bent back and flipped over, using her hands as support, as her hair pulled itself up into a spiky bun, but half of it was left to hang freely to her hips. When she straightened her posture, a red headband appeared in her hair and she blinked when a large, pink broken heart attached itself to the headband. Sakura bounced backwards and smirked, clapping her hands twice as pink gloss covered her lips.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Heart!" she and Katsumi called at the same time, winking and standing in a 'cute' pose.

"Celebrity!" called the X-Saya as she blew bubbles of X-Energy towards the group. Sakura, using Katsumi's powers, jumped up and dodged the bubbles, but the others weren't so lucky and were trapped. When she landed, she eyed the lamp and sighed.

"Just when I thought I'd have a nice, relaxing day," she hummed, her eyes falling to the prince as he glared.

"Saku-chan, I feel funny," Katsumi said from inside her heart, the red Chara's voice weak. Sakura was instantly concerned and she took one step back, prepared to leave, but was too late.

"Gorgeous!" called the X-Saya, shooting more X-Bubbles. One stuck Sakura on the shoulder and she winced, but wasn't caught in it like the others.

"Heart Kusari Gama!" she yelled, her weighted sickle appearing in her hands as she sunk into a defensive position. The girl swung her weapon around before whipping it towards the X-Charas, all of whom dodged. She then swung it back round on the same momentum and swiped at the prince, aiming for his necklace, but another X-Bubble hit it away.

"Try again, Saku-chan!" called Katsumi, but her voice was still wavering.

"Go, Haruno!" cheered Amu, who was trying to escape along with the rest of the Guardians.

"You're going down, Bratty Prince," Sakura said with a grin, her eyes locked to the prince's X-necklace.

"How dare you defy me!" he roared, the X-Energy seeping from his necklace and swirling around him, encompassing Sakura as well.

Sakura's eyes widened and she clutched her chest, wincing. Falling to her knees, the girl panted as a dark light surrounded her. Katsumi cried out from inside Sakura as the light covered the girl and her hair fell out of Lonely Heart's usual style, whipping around her as though she was caught in a hurricane. Her breath left her as lightening hit the pinkette and she glowed dark.

The dark light flew away from her like and unfurling cloak, revealing a light grey top with one strap over her shoulder, matched with a pleated skirt of the same colour, though with a band of red around the waist and also at the bottom, which ended at her knees. On her feet was a pair of knee-high black boots with black heels, and her hair settled around her, loose and falling slightly in her face and over her eyes. On her head was Katsumi's usual broken heart, but suddenly a white 'X' formed over it. When she looked up, her expression was completely blank.

"X-Chara-Nari: Lonely Heartbreak," she breathed as her hair settled. Instantly, and without her saying a word to summon it, a Kyoketsu Shoge appeared in her hands. She was dazed, unsure of what was happening, as she looked towards Amu and the others, who were still trapped in bubbles of dark energy.

"Help us, Haruno!" yelled Amu and something in Sakura drove her to raise the arm holding the chair of her Kyoketsu Shoge and she began swinging it, the blade attached to the end ripping through the bubble without popping it and forcing Amu to duck.

"Sakura-chi, what're you doing?" cried Yaya as she too ducked when the blade swept through her bubble.

"It is impossible," she murmured.

"Haruno?" whispered Amu, shrinking back in fear at the dark look covering Sakura's face.

"I can never be confident, nor can I be liked," she continued, her eyes falling on Amu in a glare, "It's always _you_; y_ou_ who is like – _you_ who is sought out and praised. _I_ am _nothing_ compared with _Hinamori Amu_," she hissed, grabbing the blade in her hands.

"Haruno, that's not true!" Amu yelled back, but words from Hinamori herself only served to further irritate the smaller pinkette.

"Silence!" she shouted, swinging the blade around.

"Saku-chi, please!" cried Yaya and Sakura's eyes narrowed. She took hold of the blade again, holding the hilt tightly in her hand as she pulled her arm back.

Sneering, Sakura threw it forward.

Amu's eyes widened and she moved her arms to cover her face.

The blade neared.

Sakura froze, her eyes widening.

"No!" screamed Sakura, pulling on the chain and the blade stopped short of its intended target. She fell to her knees, life returning to her eyes, as she gripped her head. "Stop it!" she cried, shaking her head and biting her lip. "I am not that person," she whispered to herself and the white 'X' cracked, crumbling away as her clothing returned to that of Lonely Heart in a shower of red sparkles.

"What was that?" asked Katsumi from inside Sakura's heart, her voice wavering with tears. "It was so dark and cold."

"I don't know," Sakura whispered, weak as she went limp, her hands resting by her knees. She vaguely registered Amu scolding the prince, her bubble popping – as well as those of the others – and Pearl's Shugo Chara being born, but inside Katsumi was still shaking and this was all Sakura could focus on.

"Haruno, we need you," Amu called and Sakura looked up weakly, seeing that Amu had healed the X-Eggs, and now the only Egg remaining was the one belonging to the prince. She stood shakily and gulped, reaching out to Katsumi and thinking of her loving memories to once again warm her heart. When her eyes re-opened, they were filled with determination.

"Shugo-X-Chara – Target!" Sakura said with a strong voice, her body beginning to glow as she rose off of the ground and held her hands out to the X-Chara, breathing a sea of pink sparkles towards it. "Healing Kiss," she said softly, blowing a kiss towards the X-Chara.

The darkness peeled away from the prince's Egg and his Chara burst free, approaching the shame-filled royal with a smile on his stern face. Sakura watched with a smile, but fear had settled behind her eyes as Katsumi left her heart, her body returning to normal and Mari and Setsuko flying towards the pair. She and her Charas shared a worried look together – all were afraid of the darkness that had consumed their souls, and all were concerned that it may happen again.

"That frightened me," Setsuko said with a small voice. "All I could feel was darkness, cold, and pain. It was like – like –"

"Like someone ripped at a hole in your heart," continued Mari, her eyes downcast as she shuddered. "Do you think...?"

"I don't know," Sakura sighed. "I _hope_ it never happens again, but...I don't know. Are you okay now, Katsumi?"

"I think so," the little red Chara nodded. "I'll be even better if we go find Ikuto and Yoru-chan, though!" she added with a giggle, now back to normal. Smiling at her Chara, Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I guess," she nodded. "He always seems to be around somewhere, right? We'll just wander around until we find him."

"Perhaps we can shop?" suggested Setsuko. Mari was quiet.

"Mari, what is it?" asked Sakura, turning to her green Chara.

"That thing," she said quietly, "Do you think that necklace thing could have caused it?"

"Most likely," the pinkette agreed. "Why?"

"What if...?" here the Chara paused, "Lamila, the prince's Chara, said that it was given to him in the night by some mystery woman – we think it was Utau. What if Easter is behind this?" she suggested and Sakura frowned.

"Then I just hope they give up on this failed plan and don't know that I got involved," she breathed, turning and walking away with her Charas.

Not far from their battle sight, a suited man's eyes narrowed. He observed the small pinkette in interest before he honed in on the, now useless, collection of negative energy around the young prince's neck. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialling the speed-dial number one and waiting for someone to pick up.

"_Hello_?" the man on the other end answered.

"Director Hoshina," he said in lieu of a greeting, "I followed the Haruno girl, as requested. I believe I have witnessed an interesting development."


	32. The Chairman's Call

Chapter Thirty Two

"She told you to take the Humpty Lock?" yawned Sakura, glaring through her window as she moved her phone from her right ear to her left, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "So, what're you going to do?"

"_Take it, I suppose,_" replied Kairi, somewhat reluctantly. "_I don't know what else to do_."

"Couldn't you tell your sister to hit the road?" she asked, walking into her kitchen and raising an eyebrow when she heard silence over the phone, "You still there? If you hung up on me, I'll hit you at school tomorrow," she warned him and she heard a laugh.

"_No, I'm still here,_" he said back. "_Sorry_."

"No worries," the girl shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. "I'll come up with another reason to hit you later, but for now you still have to deal with this problem. What're you doing right now?"

"_Well, nothing really,_" he admitted. "_I just finished my homework, and my sister's out. Why do you ask_?"

"You know my address, right?" asked Sakura, hearing him hum in confirmation before continuing, "Come over to my place now and we'll talk this out properly, okay? My ear's starting to hurt," she complained.

"_Oh, alright,_" agreed Kairi, "_I'll see you in a short while._"

"Bring Musashi," Sakura told him, "Setsuko needs someone to talk to, and the other two are sleeping," she added before hanging up and stretching.

"You invited him over?" asked Setsuko, floating into the kitchen and sitting on the side in front of her owner. Sakura smiled a little and nodded.

"If I ignore that he's the Jack," she told her blue Chara, "he's not such a bad guy. He even called Naruto and Sasuke over when I was sick – I should at least give him a chance, right?"

"That is correct," smiled Setsuko.

Deciding that, since she was having someone over, it was only polite to offer snacks, and so Sakura dug around in her cupboards for a tin filled with homemade cookies. Despite no longer being a Guardian, she had fallen into the habit of making sweets and treats every now and then and, since Ikuto hadn't been over in a while, most of them simply went into tins and wrappings and were put in the fridge or the cupboards until she wanted some.

The pinkette placed a good amount of cookies on a plate and carried it to her living room, placing it down on her coffee table and she walked back to the kitchen, grabbing two glass and placing them down with the cookies. She then filled a pitcher with water – recalling from when she was at Yaya's home with the Guardians that he didn't like juice, and she was almost out of milk so she couldn't offer him that. Placing the pitcher of water on the table with the glasses and the cookies, Sakura smiled.

"You should have people over more often, Saku-chan," commented Setsuko with a soft smile as she prepared something similar, only with Chara-sized glasses and a Chara-sized pitcher of orange juice, as she remembered Musashi liking it from the time she stayed with him and Kairi.

"Why is that?" asked the pinkette as she sat down, her Chara floated to sit on the arm of the sofa beside her.

"You seem to brighten up when you are preparing things for other people," said Setsuko simply. "You were always joyful when cooking for the Guardians or Ikuto-san, and now you seem happier than you have lately, simply because you are able to share conversation with someone."

"Even if it _is_ Sanjo-san," smiled Sakura, laughing a little. "Katsumi will be upset she missed a chance to socialise, but then again she doesn't much like Musashi."

"If Yoru were here, I would have woken her," giggled Setsuko, "Simply because she is the only one who can put up with him adequately. Mari becomes frustrated with his behaviour and I find him tiresome, while Katsumi is somehow able to keep up with the rapid nonsensical conversation that flows out of him."

"I love how polite and soft-spoken you are, Setsuko," Sakura grinned, gathering her blue Chara in her hands and holding her close. "It's a nice break from Mari's yelling and Katsumi's shrieking. I love them both very much, but I also love a little quiet from time-to-time."

"I, as well," nodded the feminine Chara, smiling brightly. A knock on her door broke Sakura from the conversation and she stood, opening it to reveal a flustered Kairi wearing a plain, dark blue polo-shirt and a pair of black jeans, his glasses in place – unlike the last time she had seen dressed so casually – and black trainers on his feet. Behind him floated Musashi, looking perfectly calm and at ease despite his owner's condition.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head and inviting him in.

{-}

Kairi hung up his phone and stared at it for a moment, contemplating how he should react in this situation.

He was unsure about why he had called Sakura in the first place, rather than just calling someone who actually liked him and manipulating them into giving him advice without telling them he was working for Easter, but when she answered the phone she had actually listened to him without yelling or judging, so he wasn't regretting his choice to dial her number. It was strange, considering how little she seemed to like him. Yet, at the same time, it was a relief to genuinely ask for advice and receive it, without having to tell a single lie.

With that thought in his head, Kairi decided that he wanted to go and see Sakura and would not call to cancel. She seemed sincere in her want to help him out, and so he would, in return, trust her to listen and keep his secret from the other Guardians. Though the fact that she hadn't shown any fondness towards him in the past still remained at the back of his mind, he saw fit to push it aside lest she prove herself untrustworthy.

"Kairi, are we leaving?" asked Musashi when he saw the Jack's Chair pulling on his shoes.

"Yes," replied the green-haired boy. "Haruno-san suggested that I come over to further discuss the issue I am having, and I accepted her offer. She also requested that you come along, as company for Setsuko."

"Of course," nodded the bespectacled Samurai. He enjoyed his conversations with Setsuko, as they were usually cultured and polite – unless her sisters butted in, of course. "Are Katsumi-san and Mari-san going to be there also?"

"No, Haruno-san mentioned that they would be sleeping," he replied, not noticing the relieved look on his Chara's face as he picked out his black jacket and straightened his hair, deeming his appearance acceptable for leaving the house. "Let's go, Musashi."

"Of course," agreed the Chara, and the two left the apartment – Kairi locking the door behind him – and headed to the Ex-Jin Joker's place. It was close by, as Kairi also lived in Easter-owned apartments just a short walk from the West Easter Apartment Building.

"We're almost there," he said to his Chara, who nodded in recognition.

"Kairi," began Musashi, "is there a reason you called Haruno-san rather than someone who is more affable towards you?" enquired the Chara and Kairi considered the question.

"I believe it is because she too is associated with Easter," replied Kairi, "and so I knew I could speak with her openly."

"I see," nodded the Samurai. "I have also observed that, when in close quarters with Haruno-san, you seem to strive to please her and somehow be in her good graces. What is the reason for this, Kairi?" he continued and his owner blushed.

"I do not," he denied. "I try to be pleasant and friendly, is all."

"You do not put forth such effort in this endeavour with the others," the Chara pointed out.

"The others don't openly display animosity towards me," he shot right back and Musashi smirked, having cornered his owner.

"So, you admit that Haruno-san is hostile in your presence, and yet you were still eager to accept her invitation into her home?" he slyly countered and Kairi's face turned red as they entered the West Easter Building, heading up in the lift to the eleventh floor.

"She invited me," he muttered. "There's nothing hostile about that."

"Unless this is a ruse," continued Musashi suspiciously, but he then shook his head. "No, Setsuko-san is far too gracious to partake in such underhand methods of rivalry. Perchance, are you aware of the reason behind Haruno-san's distaste – if so, they are conceivably no longer present in her life, and thus she has withdrawn her previous abhorrence in favour of being civil and attempting a camaraderie."

"I hope so," the green-haired boy sighed. Musashi showed another sneaky smile as Kairi knocked on Sakura's door.

"Or perhaps she has developed feelings for you," he said quickly. Kairi flushed, looking at his Chara with embarrassment, as the door opened. His blush only increased when he took in Sakura's appearance – a long grey woollen jumper-dress and loose white socks, with her hair curling down around her waist and pulled back with a white ribbon.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head and letting him and Musashi into her apartment. Sakura had obviously mistaken his look of embarrassment for concern or upset, but her actions did nothing to lessen his blush.

"N-Nothing," he replied stiffly and she snorted, rolling her eyes as she took his coat, hanging it by the door. Kairi pulled off his shoes, leaving them beside a small pair of boots that were obviously Sakura's, leavin him in his white socks.

"If nothing was wrong then you wouldn't be here, Sanjo-san," she retorted with a small smile. "Come and sit down, and you can tell me everything that's troubling you. When you're done, we can try to come up with some solutions."

"That sounds reasonable," nodded the Jack's Chair, following Sakura to her living room, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed that she had actually laid out drinks and a snack – her homemade cookies, which he had not had since his first day as a Guardian, and her last.

"Would you like a cookie?" she offered, holding the plate towards him as they both sat down on opposite ends of the sofa. Trying not to seem too eager, Kairi reached forwards and took one, savouring every bite as he watched Sakura take another one, breaking it in half. She broke on piece in half again, but before he could ask what she was doing Sakura put the pieces down on the edge of the plate, near the Charas.

Kairi smiled slightly when he noticed that Setsuko had made the same effort as Sakura, and had already supplied Musashi with a drink and both were sat on small chairs – Setsuko in a powder blue one and Musashi in a green one that Kairi assumed actually belonged to Mari. There was also a red one, presumable Katsumi's, and two small sofas – one in black, the other white – that were arranged around a small brown rug. In the middle of this arrangement was a Chara-sized coffee table, upon which sat two cups and a small jug of orange juice.

"I got all that a few days ago, actually," smiled Sakura when she saw him observing the Chara-furniture. "I was shopping and Katsumi asked that I buy her a new pillow for her Egg, and then Mari asked for a blanket, and eventually I ended buying them full furniture sets and set them up in the different rooms in the apartment. That's their sitting room set, the kitchen set is on the counter in the kitchen next to the sink, and their bedroom set is on my dresser, though I bought egg-holders rather than beds."

"You spoil them," he commented lightly.

"They deserve it," Sakura replied. "With everything they do for me, it's nice to do a little something in return. Anyway, back to you – tell me more about this situation you have found yourself in, Sanjo-san."

"Well..." he sighed, proceeding to tell her everything. He told her about his sister Yukari, and how she was always late home – if she came home at all. He told her about her order to get the Humpty Lock. He told her about how Yukari had wanted to make him sign with Easter, but how he had turned her down – he had even told her about a lie he told to his sister about this, saying that the Guardians had the means to discover him when really they didn't.

"You seem to be in a lot of trouble right now," Sakura hummed in consideration, taking a sip of water. Kairi picked up his glass, too, and drank from it. He watched her eyes as many different thoughts flew through them, and nervously wondered if she would actually help him or not.

"Is there any conceivable solution, Haruno-san?" he asked, looking away from her when she turned to him.

"I can't really tell you what to do," Sakura said to him and his shoulders slouched, not getting an answer that cleared anything up. "However, I can tell you this; what you must consider primarily is your own feelings."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused, and Sakura smiled.

"Does it feel wrong to steal the Humpty Lock?" she asked, "Or does it feel worse to let your sister down? When you ask yourself this, what answer do you get in reply?" she said and Kairi nodded, taking in her words.

"I suppose..." he paused, thinking. "It's hard. I do not like the idea of steal from people who have come to trust me, but," he stopped again.

"'She's family, and so it's wrong to betray her' is what you're thinking now, right?" smiled Sakura. The Jack's Chair looked at her in shock and she shook her head. "We both have school tomorrow, and it's getting pretty late. You should leave and think about this more."

"R-Right," Kairi agreed reluctantly, standing at the same time as Sakura and walking to her door, pulling his shoes on. "What if I'm still confused, though?" he asked helplessly and Sakura sighed.

"How about we talk more tomorrow?" she suggested. "I know a cafe in town that none of the Guardians go to, so we won't have to worry about them listening in and finding out. I'll pick you up from the Royal Garden, okay?"

"That sounds acceptable," he nodded, accepting his jacket when Sakura handed it to him.

"Do you live far from here?" asked Sakura, looking out of her window at the setting sun, and Kairi smiled.

"Not really," he shrugged. "Just down the street, near enough," the boy told her and she smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Haruno-san?"

"Tomorrow," she bid, opening the door.

"Let's go, Musashi," called Kairi as he stepped over the threshold, watching as his Chara said his goodbyes to Setsuko and floated over to him. "Goodbye, Haruno-san. Thank you for listening to my plight."

"No problem, Sanjo-san," she smiled in return, but paused. "You can call me 'Sakura' if you want. Most people do, and it means I can call you 'Kairi' without it being weird. It's strange to call you by your last name, since that's what I call your sister."

"I see," Kairi nodded, blushing at the suggestion. "Then...I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-san?" he asked, his pink face turning red when Sakura smiled at him.

"Goodbye, Kairi-san," she bid and the green-haired boy walked away with his Chara, allowing Sakura to close the door behind him.

{-}

"So, Kairi and Musashi came over?" asked Katsumi as they headed to school the following morning.

"Yes," Setsuko nodded.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" whiled the red Chara with a pout. "Sure, he's no _Yoru_, but Musashi's pretty cute, too!"

"Should Yoru be jealous right now?" a deep voice asked in amusement and Sakura and her Charas turned, spotting a familiar figure behind them. The pinkette's face lit up with a smile as she ran up to him, stopping in front of the teenager.

"Ikuto!" she greeted happily and he smirked, patting her head.

"It's been a while, stalker," he mused, bending down to her height. "I guess I'll have to hang around more to make up for the time I missed when your friends came to visit, hmm?"

"Great," Sakura sighed. "I don't think I could deal with that much Tsukiyomi Ikuto all at once," she added with a short laugh and he acted hurt.

"I'm wounded," he said blankly before his expression turned serious. "Sakura, I need to talk to you about some things," he said and her face dropped.

"Can it wait?" she asked. "I'm on my way to school, and I don't want to be late."

"Then we'll talk on the way," he suggested, wrapping an arm around her – which wasn't easy, considering the height difference. "Did you get taller?" he mused when he realised that Sakura was past his elbow now, and she smirked.

"A little," the girl shrugged. "I'm taller than Mashiro-san now, but I'm still shorter than Yaya-san," she added. Ikuto, not fully sure about who these two were, hummed.

"You joined Easter," he said, stating rather than asking, and Sakura froze.

"I had to," she confessed, looking down. Rather than him letting go and walking off, like she had expected, Ikuto arm around her merely tightened and she looked up, seeing no expression on his face.

"I guess I'll just have to look after you more closely now," he said without looking at her and Sakura smiled.

"Was that all?" she asked, leaning further into him. She had missed the teenager and the calm his presence often brought her, but when he sighed heavily she knew they were about to argue.

"I know you're the stalker," he began, "but I did a little snooping in your Easter file, hoping to find what caused you so much stress that you made yourself sick."

"And what did you find?" Sakura asked stiffly, pulling away and turning to confront him. He didn't look ashamed or embarrassed, but his concerned look was beginning to make Sakura uncomfortable.

"I knew you lived alone," he mentioned, "but I didn't know it was because your father passed away. I just thought he was still travelling. You should have told me," he added and tears sprung to Sakura's eyes.

"Why do you care?" she sniffed, wiping away the tears before they could fall down her cheeks.

"I don't know," he confessed, drawing Sakura closer, "but I know that you're obviously still very upset. Your old friends helped, I'm sure, but you need someone to be here for you, and I can be that person. If you're sad, you need to cry," he told her, holding her tightly. When he felt her shoulders shaking, he smiled sadly. It was good that she trusted him enough to cry, but he hated that she was this upset to begin with.

"Is she still sick at all – nya?" asked Yoru, looking at Katsumi. The red Chara sighed and shook her head.

"No, but Ikuto's right," she stated. "This is something Saku-chan isn't gonna get over in just a few months.

"Her Papa was everything, and the only family she had left. Now that he's gone, she's lost and isn't sure what to do anymore," the green Chara continued.

"It is good that Ikuto-san is willing to aid her in this troubled time," finished Setsuko. She had never liked Ikuto much, preferring Kukai and his friendliness and joyful persona to Ikuto's mysteriousness and sly nature. However, if his company was what it took to cheer up Sakura, she would bare it.

His Chara, on the other hand, would either need to learn the meaning of silence, or he would understand just why Setsuko was far more dangerous than Mari.

{-}

"Could it be love?" she heard Yaya asking loudly as she walked into the familiar greenhouse-style building. Smiling slightly, Sakura continued towards the Guardian's table, looking over and spotting the Charas, as per usual, a short ways off.

"Why don't you guys go and play for a little while?" suggested Sakura quietly, allowing her Charas to fly over to their friends. She continued walking and stopped by the steps, waiting for someone to notice her. This didn't take long at all.

"Eh?" yelped Amu, standing from her seat, "Haruno, what're you doing here?"

"Are you here to re-join, Saku-chi?" asked Yaya happily, skipping over to Sakura and dragging her to her usual seat, pulling a cape out of nowhere and forcing it on the pinkette. Sakura just went along with it, laughing as she removed the cape.

"Sorry, Yaya-san," she smiled, "but I'm just here to pick up Kairi-san," she told them, ignoring everyone's shocked looks as she stood, placed the cape on the table, and grabbed Kairi's hand.

"We're leaving now, Sakura-san?" he asked and she nodded. Everyone's shocked faces doubled when they noticed the two were calling each other by their first names.

"If you want to get there before it gets too full," the pinkette informed him, and Kairi agreed.

"Musashi, we're leaving," called Kairi to his samurai Chara.

"Us too, girls," added Sakura, smiling at the Jack's Chair. He gathered his belongings quickly and the two left the Royal Garden, their Charas following quickly.

"How suspicious," muttered Yaya, placing a hand under her chin as she stared in the direction Kairi and Sakura went in. "Do you think, maybe, they're going on a date?"

"Should we follow them?" asked Tadase – less of a snoop and more concerned that Sakura would harm the only Jack they had. Not that she was cruel, but she had never liked him, so this was slightly strange.

"Let's go!" cheered Amu and the Guardians tagged along after Kairi and Sakura – Amu having dragged Rima with them. Their Shugo Charas followed a short ways behind, talking amongst themselves.

"There they are, Ami-chi!" yelled Yaya, only to have her mouth covered by Tadase and Amu.

"Did you hear that?" asked Sakura, frowning. "It sounded like Yaya-san."

"Perhaps it was merely a child that sounds similar," suggested Kairi, though he too suspected otherwise. "Shall we go inside?" he asked and Sakura nodded, walking into the cafe while Kairi held the door for her.

"He held the door!" gasped Amu, her hands flying to her mouth.

"They're sitting down together!" added Yaya, equally as shocked.

"Is this not a good thing?" asked Rima, tilting her head.

"What do you mean, Mashiro-san?" questioned Tadase, not taking his eyes off the duo as they ordered drinks. He was still slightly suspicious, particularly when Kairi and Sakura leaned in closer and began talking.

"They seem to be getting along," she noticed. "This is preferable to them fighting, isn't it? Perhaps with those two being friends, she will re-join the Guardians as you all wish she would," she continued. Amu sighed and laughed nervously.

"E-Even so, Rima," she stuttered, "Haruno still isn't really fond of the rest of us very much. She seems to like Yaya, but..."

"She doesn't like me at all," laughed Tadase easily, though with a hint of upset in his tone. He hated the idea of someone not liking him, but Sakura had made it obvious that she didn't really think of him as a close friend.

"Me either, but we get along okay," Amu stated, sighing. "And I'm sorry to say this but –"

"She really doesn't like you one bit, Rima-tan!" laughed Yaya, proud to be the only one Sakura was friends with. "It's a surprise though," she continued, a little calmer but still in a typical hyper-Yaya way. "She hated Chairman the most, but now they look like they're on a date!"

{-}

"Thank you again, Sakura-san," smiled Kairi as he finished his tea, placing the cup down. "This conversation had defiantly eased my mind somewhat."

"I'm glad I could help," she said easily, though the feeling of being watched never went. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, I was wondering," he trailed off frowning, and Sakura leaned closer.

"What is it?" she questioned. Kairi looked up, blushed at her proximity, and choked on his words.

"W-Well," he said, stumbling over the sentence, "I was wondering...w-why is it that you never liked me? I cannot recall doing anything to offend you, unless it was inadvertent, in which case I apologise," he said quickly, bowing his head, and Sakura laughed.

{-}

"She's laughing!" proclaimed Yaya, pointing at the pair.

"She never laughs so happily!" Amu gaped.

"It must be a date," nodded Tadase, being pulled over to Yaya's opinion.

{-}

"I'm sorry," he said again, not sure what was so funny.

"Don't apologise," Sakura smiled. "To be honest, the reason I didn't like you was pretty petty to begin with. I missed Kukai a lot, and you were so much the opposite of him that I thought you couldn't possibly be the Jack's Chair, and that you were wrongly replacing him. As it turns out, you seem to be better suited for the responsibility."

"Oh, thank you," accepted Kairi with a blush. "So, you did not like me because I was not Soma-sempai?"

"Essentially, yes," she nodded, laughing a little again. "I told you it was petty, Kairi-san," she hummed, taking another sip of tea. This time, it was Kairi who laughed.

{-}

"Now he's laughing," Rima pointed out quietly and the others gasped.

"Straight-laced Chairman is laughing?" Yaya yelped and Amu sighed.

"Definitely a date," accepted Amu and they all sighed. "Duck down, they're coming out!" she yelled, pushing down Rima's head while Tadase pulled Yaya, the four hiding from view.

{-}

When Sakura and Kairi left the cafe, they found themselves walking home in the same direction – unsurprising, considering how closely they lived. Their Charas floated in front of them, Musashi and Setsuko sharing a conversation while Mari and Katsumi bickered about something insignificant. Sakura smiled at the usual sight of her Charas and Kairi, seeing her soft expression, blushed. He then cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

"I told you I lived close to your apartment," he said, smiling a little and Sakura nodded.

"I remember," she agreed. "It's just strange that we've never crossed paths on the way to school. Then again, I've stopped leaving so early and arrive on time now, while you probably leave very early to get Guardians work done."

"That is correct," he nodded and Sakura sighed.

"You're a very hard-working Jack's Chair, Kairi-san," Sakura complimented, causing Kairi to blush again.

{-}

"He's walking her home," giggled Yaya as the Guardians trailed after the pair as quietly as they could. "Chairman's a real gentleman!"

"He's blushing again," Amu noticed with a sweat-drop. "Why're we still following them?" she asked.

"I think it's clear that Sanjo-kun and Haruno-san are in the early stages of a romantic relationship," said Rima calmly, blinking, "and we should leave them alone for the remainder of their personal outing," she added, grabbing Amu's wrist, "Come, Amu," the small girl ordered, pulling Amu away down the street.

"Is Amu-chi getting kidnapped?" considered Yaya and Tadase laughed a little, watching Rima drag the Joker away.

"Let's just go home, Yaya," Tadase suggested, the King's Chair and the Ace's Chair leaving in opposite directions.

Seeing that their owners had already left, the Charas were quick to wrap up their conversation – regarding a Chara-only search for the Embryo, lead by Kiseki – and followed their respective owners.

{-}

"Well, I go this way now," said Sakura, the feeling of being watched vanishing and she felt a lot more relaxed. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Kairi-san."

"See you then, Sakura-san," Kairi nodded. "Hopefully, we can remain friends from now on?" he attempted, nervous for a rejection, but almost sighed in relief when Sakura smiled.

"Of course," she agreed, bowing slightly as a farewell and turning to walk the rest of the way home. Kairi smiled slightly, watching her for a moment before he too left for his apartment.

{-}

Sakura stretched her arms over her head and grinned when she changed the TV channel and found an adventure show. Mari was watching it with her, both getting into the action, while Setsuko was taking a nap and Katsumi was using her Chara-sized make up station, primping. When Sakura had asked why she was doing it, the red Chara had merely smiled and said that Yoru might turn up at any moment.

"_One, two, three_," the character of the show counted and Sakura and Mari jumped up.

"Get 'em, Get 'em, Got 'em!" they shouted along with the show, sitting back and laughing. The girl's concentration on the show was broken when she heard her phone ringing, and she reached for it.

"Hello?" answered the pinkette, still watching the explorer on the TV.

"_It's Kairi_," the voice on the other end said and Sakura frowned, standing up and taking the call to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura, serious now and paying full attention to the Jack's Chair.

"_My sister asked for it again – the Humpty Lock_," he told her, "_She's saying she needs it quickly, but I still don't know if I should..._" he trailed off and Sakura sighed, her eyes lowering.

"Listen," she said, "If you have such a problem with stealing the lock, find some way of turning your sister down," the pinkette told him. "All that matters is that you don't so something you're not comfortable with, or something you will regret. You are not technically employed with Easter – just your sister. Turn her down, and they'll give the job to someone else."

"..._What if they give it to you_?" he asked after a moment and Sakura paused.

"I'd do it," she replied, hearing him gasp.

"_Really_?" he questioned doubtingly and Sakura sighed again.

"I'd have to," she told him truthfully. "I am under Easter's employ, living in one of _their_ apartments, getting educated with _their_ money, and surviving through the pay checks _they_ give me. If they give me a job, I'll do it, no matter how much I hate it. You have to do no such thing, Kairi. You need to do what is right for you," Sakura advised and Kairi smiled.

"_Thank you, Sakura_," he breathed. "_It is a relief to talk to someone about these matters, without it being my sister. I am glad there is someone I can be honest with._"

"I could say the same," Sakura replied. "I'm surprised, actually, that she asked you to steal something in the first place."

"_Well_," she heard him humming in consideration, "_She actually said something like 'borrowing it and collecting some data, then returning it'_," he told her, "_but in the short-term, it's essentially still stealing_."

"What if you get permission?" suggested the pinkette.

"_How_?" the green-haired boy questioned, frowning. "_Should I say; 'May I borrow the Humpty Lock so that my sister in Easter can run some tests in it', or perhaps I should be a little more vague_?" he snorted.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Chairman," Sakura laughed, stealing the Guardian's nickname for him. "I was thinking more of telling a white lie; perhaps telling Hinamori that you need to research it in order to strengthen the power of the Guardians or something."

"_That's a good idea_," he agreed.

"All I'm worried about is _why_ Easter wants it," sighed Sakura, but she shook her head and made a dismissive sound. "Anyway I'll see you tomorrow at the cafe, okay? Should I collect you again, or will you just meet me there?"

"_Well, Yuiki-san seems to think we're in some sort of 'secret relationship' now, or something_," he chuckled, "_so perhaps it is best if we meet there._"

"Alright," the pinkette agreed, not even batting an eye at the suggestion. "If you're more than five minutes late, I'm coming to get you."

"_Acceptable_," he agreed. "_Bye, Sakura-san._"

"Bye, Kairi-san," Sakura bid, hanging up her phone.

{-}

As planned, Sakura had gone to the cafe to meet with Kairi, but he had texted her to cancel, telling her something happened and he was call to explain it all later. Trusting him to keep his word, Sakura wasn't angry. Instead, she ordered a green tea to go and paid, collected her Styrofoam cup and leaving the cafe to go home. When she turned a corner, she dropped her tea in shock, her jaw dropping.

"Saku-chan?" called Katsumi, floating around her owner's shoulder to see what had stopped her.

"Oh, dear," muttered Setsuko when she and Mari also viewed the sight before them.

Down the street, Sakura saw a couple that was unmistakeably Amu and Ikuto, standing very close to each other. She was behind Amu, but Ikuto was leant down and by how close they were standing, it would have been easy to think they were... Sakura's eyes widened and she looked away from the pair, biting her lip.

"Sakura?" she heard and looked back, seeing Ikuto staring at her with concern on his face. He and Amu were apart now and, from how red Amu's face was, Sakura's assumptions were only doubled. Tears sprung to her eyes and she turned, running away from them.

"Haruno, wait!" she heard Amu yell, but she ignored it and kept running.

Sakura didn't care that she was getting further from her apartment, she just knew that her heart was aching and she wasn't sure why. Before she could stop and gather her surroundings, she looked up and found herself outside a familiar house. Biting her lip, Sakura wondered whether or not she should stay, and in the end decided that she needed his particular brand of advice – though she would keep it vague.

Knocking twice, Sakura waited patiently, and the door suddenly swung open, revealing a pretty, middle-aged woman with sandy hair and brown eyes, surrounded by four older boys – looking to be in their mid- to late-teens and early twenties.

"U-Umm," she stuttered, suddenly nervous, "Is Kukai home?"


	33. We're Not Dating

Chapter Thirty Three

Sakura sat nervously on the sofa, holding a warm cup of tea. The four boys – who were apparently Kukai's older brothers – were around her, two on either side of her on the sofa and two standing behind her. Kukai's mother was sat across from her on an armchair, a warm smile on her face while her sons openly stared at the pinkette in interest.

"I-Is Kukai going to be home soon?" she asked the woman, still stiff from being surrounded by boys.

"He should be," smiled the woman softly. "It's just so wonderful that my youngest son has a nice girl like you calling for him. Young love is beautiful, after all," she cooed and Sakura froze.

"Y-Young love?" she stuttered, her eye twitching, "N-No, Kukai and I are just f-friends, that a-all," she denied.

"Oh, that's a shame," the woman sighed sadly and, strangely enough, Sakura felt bad for not being in a relationship with Kukai. A mother's disappointment does strange things apparently.

"So, do you know each other from school?" one brother, the youngest of the bunch at around fifteen with light purple hair and the same green eyes as Kukai, asked her.

"Y-Yes," she replied, still very nervous. "W-We were in the Guardians together."

"Is that so?" the oldest, who seemed to be around twenty and was very muscular with short brown hair and brown eyes, hummed. "I remember him talking about the Guardians a lot."

"You still talk, even though he's in Middle School now, and you're obviously still in Elementary?" the second oldest, at around nineteen with glasses covering brown eyes and grey-brown hair, questioned.

"Y-Yes, we're still good friends," the pinkette told him. _'What is this? An interrogation?_' she pondered mentally, hoping Kukai would be home soon.

"You're not wearing one of those cape things Kukai used to wear," the final brother, who seemed to be the second youngest of the bunch at around seventeen with sandy hair a shade lighter than Kukai's and brown eyes noticed.

"I never really wore one," Sakura confessed, "but I'm no longer a part of the Guardians. I quit a short while ago."

"Quit?" considered the oldest as though the word were foreign to him. Then again, considering they were all related to Kukai, she wouldn't doubt it if she was kicked out for speaking such a word.

"Boys, that's enough," the mother scolded and Sakura twitched.

'_I think it was enough when they all gathered around me_,' she thought, but didn't dare say anything.

"So, Sakura-chan, was it?" the woman asked, not waiting for confirmation before she continued, "Do you like sports at all?" she asked and she and the boys all leant in, waiting for her answer. Apparently, this was a very important questioned.

"I-I guess," she nodded. "I'm not a member of any teams, but I play basketball and soccer from time-to-time," she told them stiffly, relieved when they accepted this answer with a smile.

"Saku-chan, I think Kukai's coming," Mari grinned, sensing Daichi.

"I'm home!" the familiar voice of the sandy-haired youth called as the door was opened and closed. She heard him removing his shoes and jacket before he appeared in the doorway, looking confused at the sight of her, "Sakura?"

'_Save me!'_ she wailed mentally, but on the outside she merely stood up from the sofa and smiled at him. "Hey, Kukai – I thought I'd surprise you," Sakura stated with a nervous laugh. His brothers then stood, still crowded around her, and Kukai gulped.

"You guys didn't..." he trailed off, looking between his brothers and his mother anxiously, "..._interrogate_ her, did you?"

"Of course not," his mother cooed gently, laughing, while the boys smirked evilly at their younger brother.

"No, we were just getting to know your little girlfriend," the oldest teased and Kukai turned bright red.

"She's not my girlfriend!" he denied, his eye twitching.

"That's right," nodded the second oldest, adjusting his glasses. "You girlfriend was telling us about how you two were friends in Elementary school."

"She is _not_ my girlfriend!" the youngest brother repeated, though now realised it was probably in vain.

"We were actually wondering if you and your girlfriend would be in the same middle school next year," the second youngest mused, tapping his chin in thought as the youngest sniggered.

"We're not dating!" announced Kukai, hoping that changing the sentence would somehow make them stop.

"Don't worry, Kukai-chan," the youngest sang, patting Sakura head as he winked at his baby brother, "we know you could never bag a cutie like this, okay?" he said soothingly, but unsurprisingly Kukai was not relieved.

"You guys are such a pain!" he roared, leaping forwards with a face red from embarrassment. Kukai rescued Sakura from his brothers and charged upstairs, still holding her wrist.

"Keep it clean, Kukai!" warned his oldest brother.

If possible, Kukai grew redder.

{-}

"Sorry about my family," Kukai sighed as the two sat on his bed.

"No worries," Sakura laughed, "They seem...nice?" she struggled to describe their particular brand of eccentric, but Kukai laughed it off anyway.

"I know they're crazy, but they're family," he shrugged. "Aside from picking on me and embarrassing me whenever possible, I guess I can count on some of them."

"Some of them?" repeated Sakura, tilting her head.

"Yeah," Kukai smirked, turning to his door. "Kaidou-nii, my oldest brother, is always _completely useless_!" he bellowed loudly, gaining a laugh from Sakura when the two heard angry muttering from the other side of the door – along with three sniggers. After those words, they heard four sets of footsteps as Kukai's brothers walked away, finally leaving them in peace.

"It must be nice to have brothers," Sakura mused, looking at the door for a moment before turning back to Kukai.

"Like I said; _sometimes_," he stressed jokingly. "So, what can I do for you?"

"A-Actually," Sakura paused, considering her real reason before shaking her head, "Nothing really, I just wanted to visit. I haven't seen you in a while," she said, happy when Kukai grinned.

"It has been a while," he agreed. "So, what's been going on with Haruno Sakura, then?"

"Well," she sighed, "It's just been a lot of drama, to be honest."

"Yeah, I heard about your father," he approached as delicately as he could, but by now Sakura almost expected it.

"Everyone has," she smiled sadly. "I'm fine – really. It's still hard to think about, but knowing that everyone's there for me has helped," she said and he nodded, glad the solemn topic could be avoided.

"I can't believe Amu's Egg has an 'X', though," he said, changing the topic quite well, but froze when Sakura flinched. "S-Say, don't you and Amu have matching Eggs? Like you both have red, blue, and green?" he asked.

"Well, hers is more 'pink', but I suppose," nodded the pinkette. "Yes, I also have a gold Egg, but..."

"Does yours have an 'X' too?" he gasped and Sakura laughed, shaking her head.

"No," she replied, "I wish it did. My Egg was...broken. I still have it – I'm hoping that I can figure out a way to fix it quickly – but I'm really upset that I might not get a chance to meet my golden Chara," she told him, tears in her eyes.

"Hmm," Kukai considered, thinking for a while before changing the topic again.

{-}

"Daichi!" the three female Charas cheered when the sporty Chara entered, hovering over his owner's shoulder.

"Mari!" he yelped when the tomboy of the trio tackled him in mid-air, the two beginning to wrestle until Mari managed to get him in a headlock.

"Give in!" she ordered with a laugh.

"I give!" gasped Daichi, and the green Chara released him. The two high-fived, grinned at each other, and the sporty Chara turned to the two other girls present, who had watched their play fight from a safe distance.

"Good to see ya, Daichi," giggled Katsumi, sorting out his hair for him – Mari had successfully messed it up, after all.

"You too, Katsumi," he greeted with a smile, allowing her to reposition his green tresses. Daichi would normally only shake his head and allow the strands to fall where they may, but he knew Katsumi would fix it just right – like she did for all the Charas. Sometimes it helped to have a girly friend, and he was relieved that she never flirted with him – like she did with Yoru.

Daichi was probably the only Chara known to get along with all three of Sakura's Charas – as well as every other Chara he'd ever encountered. With Mari, they got along because they were both very sporty – though Mari was more interested in physical sports like wrestling, thus why she usually managed to beat him. His friendship with Katsumi was a confused, very loose brother-sister relationship – they got along great, for no particular reason, and while she would reposition his hair to a comfortable style whenever it was messed up, he never failed to make her giggle.

With Setsuko, it was a completely different matter.

"Hello, Daichi," smiled Setsuko, curtsying politely. "It is a pleasure to see you."

"You too, Setsuko," he beamed back, hugging the blue Chara gently.

While Setsuko and Daichi should, in theory, dislike each other almost as much as the blue Chara disliked Yoru, they actually got along. For no apparent reason, these two had never even considered an ill thought about the other. Even though Daichi was loud, boisterous and boyish, while Setsuko was the epitome of delicate, feminine and soft, the two had never spoken a bad word to one another. If asked why, they could not answer, though it was likely due to Setsuko refusing to hate anyone without a good reason, and Daichi being so darn likable!

"How have you all been?" he asked them, the girls in front of him in sort of a semi-circle – with Setsuko in the middle – as he backed away from the hug and looked around at them.

"I have been well," considered Setsuko.

"It's all good," agreed Katsumi with a wink.

"Well..." Mari winced, her honest nature forbidding her to deceive the Chara before them. Daichi frowned slightly and tilted his head.

"What is it, girls?" he prompted, not wanting anything making his friends sad – not if he could help it!

"It's just –" Katsumi was cut off when Kukai stormed upstairs, taking Sakura with him.

"Perhaps we should follow, and continue this conversation upstairs," suggested Setsuko as the Charas hurried after their owners, followed a short way behind by Kukai's nosey brothers. Ignoring the four older humans, the Chara filed into Kukai's room and gathered on his desk, Daichi standing near the edge with a curious look on his face while Setsuko perched herself on Kukai's computer mouse, Katsumi sat leaning against his pencil holder, her knees drawn up, and Mari nudged a football-shaped rubber around with her foot.

"So, what's up?" asked Daichi, not one to beat around the bush.

"Our sister's Egg broke," Katsumi said quietly after a pause. A solemn veil settled over the three female Charas as they thought of the Sun Egg and Daichi looked down at the wood of the desk in thought.

"What about Sakura's special move?" he asked, grinning, but his joyful expression fell when the girls all sighed.

"Tired that," Mari grunted, kicking the rubber with a bit more force. It sailed towards Daichi, who stopped it with his head before letting it drop between his feet. He kicked it back towards Mari and the two were soon passing it absentmindedly between each other.

"Well, maybe it'll come to you with time," he suggested, prompting Katsumi to groan and Setsuko to shake her head.

"Yeah, that's likely," the red Chara frowned, burying her face in her knees with a pout. "It's been _ages_ and _nothing_! We're _never_ gonna get her back," she sniffed, tears in her eyes.

"Perhaps we'll _dream_ a solution," Setsuko said sarcastically. "Isn't that how it goes in all those 'happily ever after' stories?"

"He was just trying to cheer us up," growled Mari, frustrated by the attitudes of her sisters. Katsumi looked up, a sad smile.

"We know," she sighed. "Sorry, Daichi," the heart Chara said wholeheartedly, her blue-themed sister nodding in agreement with the apology.

"It was wrong of us to mock your efforts," Setsuko continued, offering Daichi a small, gentle smile. "Thank you for your attempts to raise our spirits."

"That's what friends are for!" he grinned, kicking the ball again – this time to Katsumi. It gently tapped her ankles and she looked up sharply, a wicked glint in her eye that made both Daichi and Mari gulp.

"Let's play ball," Setsuko said softly. She floated up from the mouse and lowered herself to the desk, standing to play the part of referee as Katsumi – despite her confidence – was horribly beaten in the sport by both Mari and Daichi.

{-}

In the end, Sakura had stayed for dinner, learnt Kukai's brother's names – Kaidou, Shuusui, Unkai, and Rento – met his father, and managed to leave with the Soma stamp of approval. The most embarrassing part of the night for both her and Kukai was when his father had suggested the two get married, as they seemed perfect for each other. This suggestion was backed up by his older brothers, as each of them then somehow managed to make a comment about Sakura and Kukai dating no matter what the topic of conversation was at the time.

The pinkette was currently walking home, her Charas still buzzing happily about the time they got to spend with the friendly and much-loved Daichi. Even if he was closer to Mari than the other two, Katsumi and Setsuko got along with him rather well. It was a relief, compared to the tension between Katsumi and Mari and Musashi whenever she was around Kairi, and the obvious distaste between Yoru and Setsuko. She wondered about the last one, though, since Yoru had never openly shown a disliking for the blue-Chara, while all Setsuko seemed to do was avoid him.

She continued down the street and sighed, about to enter her apartment building when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She blinked and shook her head; ignoring what she believed was her imagination. It buzzed again and she tilted her head, frowning and pulling her phone out of her pocket, staring at it, still thinking that she was imagining things. She had put it on silent when she went to Kukai's house, but didn't think she would have missed a call. It buzzed a final time and she gasped.

"I have a message!" she realised and her Charas fell in shock. Slightly confused, since she never had message, Sakura pressed the 'listen to voicemail' option and the phone beeped.

"_Sakura-san, this is Kairi,_" the message said, "_I'm sorry that I couldn't reach you just now. I don't want to call again in case you're busy, but please call me when you get this. I need your help,_" he said. The phone beeped again, signalling the end of the message, and Sakura frowned, dialling.

"_Hello_?" the voice on the other end answered.

"Hello, Kairi-san," Sakura greeted, "I got your message. What's wrong?"

"_She's given me a new mission_," Kairi told her, worry and sadness filling his tone and Sakura sighed.

"Tell me what it is," she told him, turning to go to his place instead. "I'm on my way over."

{-}

Ikuto wandered down the street towards Sakura's apartment, fully intent on setting her straight. She had obviously misinterpreted the situation with Amu, thinking they were together when he merely wanted to see if the Dumpty Key would open the Humpty Lock. Unfortunately, she had run off before he could explain.

Of course he had followed her – he wanted to tell her what was going on the second he had seen the hurt cross her face – but had stormed off as soon as she had knocked on that door, asking for the ex-Jack brat. He didn't know if her response to jealous was to make him jealous in return, but Ikuto couldn't say it didn't work.

Shaking his head, he looked up at the looming grey brick that made up the West Easter Apartment Building. One of the few buildings in the world he would actually do anything to keep Sakura away from, and it was her home. He sighed as he took in the dismal sight, hoping only that one day she would come to her senses and leave – convincing her would be impossible, though, and he had no alternative that he could offer her. His eyes fell to the window on the eleventh floor that he had very often made use of, and he turned his eyes to his Chara, Yoru, who grinned.

"Chara-Change – nya!" the cat Chara yelled, causing a pair of cat ears to appear on Ikuto's head, matched with a swishing tail, all the colour of his hair. In two bounds, one to a balcony on the seventh floor and the other to her apartment, he was opening the window and stepping into Sakura's kitchen.

Instantly, Ikuto was hit with the familiar, comforting surroundings that made Sakura's home feel welcoming to him, even when the girl was often not. A small smile lit his face as he wandered around, his eyes falling on a few photographs, the by now familiar faces of her mother and father greeting him with camera-ready smiles and unseeing eyes.

"I wish I could have met them," he mused to his Chara as his eyes traced the image of the happy couple in their wedding photo. "If only to tell them how perfect their daughter was turning out," he smirked, looking away from the couple and to a photo of a six-year-old Sakura and her father in a country he couldn't name.

"Ikuto – nya," Yoru called, getting his attention.

"What is it?" asked the teen, looking over at his Chara. Yoru was looking out of the kitchen window at the street below and Ikuto joined him, his eyes falling on the pink-haired occupant of the apartment walking towards the building.

Her body language told him that she was exhausted – most likely from being out and about all day – though her eyes were filled with a sort of joy that almost made him thankful for the Soma kid. She had almost made it to the building when she stopped, taking out her phone and staring at it before lifting it to her ear. After a moment, the girl dialled a number – having obviously just listened to a message – and within seconds she had turned around and was walking away from the building.

"What now – nya?" asked Yoru, crossing his arms as he watched the pinkette and her Charas leave their sight. Ikuto raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"I guess I'll leave," he sighed. "She seems like she's in a good mood, and I don't want to ruin it. We'll only end up arguing. I'll come back tomorrow."

"Okay – nya!" nodded Yoru as Ikuto re-opened the window, "Chara-Change – nya!"

{-}

"So these are those teaser CDs, huh?" she mused as she knelt next to the Jack's Chair, sorting through the black disks with him. "To anyone who's ever seen an X-Egg, it's pretty obvious that these are dangerous, huh?" she stated, looking at the 'X' on them.

"I guess," agreed Kairi, looking at the CDs in amusement. It was quickly wiped off his face, however, and he sighed. "She wants me to distribute them," the Jack's Chair said, "even though I know they will draw out Heart's Eggs and put Xs on them. I am unsure of what to do."

"It's just X-Eggs," Sakura smiled, holding up a CD. "Hinamori can purify them easily, so there's no real harm done. If they break, I'll fix them. There's nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," the boy nodded, "but what if they catch me?"

"You let me deal with that chance," the girl told him with a small smile. "For now, though, I should get home. I've been out all day, and I'm tired."

"All day?" he questioned, tilting his head as the two put the CDs back in the bag, and Sakura nodded.

"Yep, I went to Kukai's after school, and then I came here," she told him.

"So, you arranged to meet with Ex-Jack-san?" asked Kairi, a little confused since she had planned to meet with him.

"No, it was more spontaneous," she laughed. "I don't go out on a whim often, but when I do it usually end up different from how I imagined. Kukai wasn't there when I rang the doorbell, so I ended up sitting with his mother and brothers for a while – they kept asking questions, and his Mama thought I was his girlfriend," she added with a blush and Kairi frowned.

"Are you?" he asked and she tilted her head. "I mean, do you like Soma-sempai?"

"I like him," Sakura nodded, blushing slightly with a sad smile, "but I'm not his girlfriend. Just his friend," she said simply. Kairi breathed a sigh of relief before pausing again and looking at the pinkette, his eyebrows pulled together in concern. "What is it?" asked Sakura, spotting the expression.

"It's just..." he trailed off, gulping, "You only seem to enjoy the company of men older than you," he said and Sakura hummed. "Soma-sempai, for example, and you seem to get along well with Tsukiyomi-san," he recalled and Sakura flinched at the motion of Ikuto.

"I guess you're right," she acknowledged with a sigh. "I've never really liked younger guys – it's strange, though, because I know some guys who are younger than me that are really nice. Even my first crush was a year older than me!" she laughed, thinking of Neji, and Kairi looked uncomfortable.

"So, you've never thought of a younger guy in a romantic way?" he asked, hoping that he didn't sound too interested. Sakura shook her head and he tried to keep the disappointment off his face. "Could you?" he questioned, trying again, and this time Sakura seemed to take longer thinking about it.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "If I meet the right guy, who cares if he's younger or older than me?" she added, smiling.

"I see," considered the Jack's Chair and Sakura hummed.

"Why all the questions?" she asked slyly, smirking. "Could you perhaps have a crush on a younger woman?" the pinkette asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it that you wanted to know if it was weird to like someone younger that you?"

"That's not it," he denied truthfully, shaking his head. Sakura's eyes lit up slightly as she grinned.

"Then, you like an older woman?" she guessed, knowing she hit the mark when Kairi seemed to choke on air. "I know it!" the girl cheered, "Do I know her? Is she in my grade, or even at your old school?"

"You, umm," he paused, gulping. "You know her _very_ well," Kairi hinted, looking at Sakura to gauge some reaction, but she merely seemed both confused and oblivious to his insinuation.

"Is it Hinamori?" she supposed, a finger to her chin as Kairi face-planted.

"No, it's not the Yang Joker," Kairi sighed, recovering. "Never mind, it's not important," he dismissed and Sakura shrugged.

"Okay then," she accepted, standing up. "I should go now anyway; we've got school tomorrow," Sakura said, walking to the door and pulling on her shoes.

"Thank you for coming over on such short notice," said Kairi, grateful for her time. He followed her to the door, opening it for her.

"No problem, Kairi-san," the pinkette smiled, grabbing her jacket and putting it on. "See you tomorrow," she bid, leaving his apartment and heading home. The green haired youth closed his door gently and sighed.

"What is troubling you, Kairi?" asked Musashi, seeing the dejected look on his owner's face. Kairi shook his head, sitting heavily on his sofa.

"If she cannot even consider herself as _my_ crush," he frowned, "is it even conceivable that she has any romantic notions about me?"

"Perhaps you should try harder to portray your affections," Musashi said to cheer him up and Kairi smiled.

"Yes, perhaps I should," he agreed.

{-}

"Here, Haruno-san!" a girl from Sakura's class chimed, handing the pinkette a familiar black CD. The pinkette raised an eyebrow and looked away, not accepting the item, and the girl panicked, "P-Please take it! I have to get rid of it before seven days, and the time is almost up!" she pleaded and Sakura sighed, holding out her hand.

"I'm not interested in these things," she said, "but I'll humour your superstitions for now," she added, taking the CD from the relieved girl.

"T-Thank you, Haruno-san!" she bowed, running off to her friends. They all complained, saying they would have offered the CD to Sakura if they thought she would take it. The pinkette placed the CD on her desk, staring at it with mild distain, before standing from her seat.

"H-Haruno-san?" her classmates murmured as Sakura shoved the CD in her bag and left the room, walking down to the Fourth Grade classes and quickly finding Moon Class. She left herself in, scanning the room and ignored the awed students who were watching their sempai, hoping they were the one she sought out.

"Kairi-san," she called when she saw him, watching him look up and blush at her sudden appearance.

"Musashi-san," greeted Setsuko with a smile when Sakura walked over to Kairi's seat, sitting at the desk in front of him without a care and turning to speak with him. Her Charas set themselves down on Kairi's desk with Musashi.

"I got given this just now," she said, picking the CD out of her bag. "Please take it," she requested, though it sounded more like an order.

"O-Of course," he nodded, "Sorry," the green-haired boy said, taking the CD and placing it in his own bag. The students in his class, who could not hear what they were saying, gasped at what looked like Haruno-sempai giving their own Kairi-kun a present. Added to the rumours that the two were dating, this seemed very romantic in their eyes.

"It's not your fault," she told him simply, "but you might want to distribute them in town a little. If they're all given out here, you might be caught sooner."

"Sooner?" repeated Kairi.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, standing, "because it's obvious you'll get caught. See you later, Kairi-san," she bid with a smile, leaving the classroom. As soon as she was gone, Kairi's classmates crowded around him, asking how he had managed to get Sakura to date him and if she's really nice outside of school. He ignored the questions, instead thinking about how he would distribute the other CDs. Sakura was right – too many in the school would be suspicious.

Sakura walked back to her classroom and was almost there when her phone beeped. She pulled it out and looked at it, reading the text she had received from Kairi's sister. Sighing slightly at the job she had been given, Sakura frowned. She didn't want to spend any more time with Utau than she had to, but apparently by hanging out with Kairi so much she was now a part of this scheme and had to work for Yukari.

_Haruno – Boss said I could borrow you tonight – we'll need you for crowd control and Egg collection. Don't be late. Directions are attached. Sanjo Yukari_

Sighing, Sakura read the directions and shook her head, pocketing her phone as she walked into the classroom. She knew Kairi would be discovered soon – the boy was meticulous, but far too stressed to fly completely under the radar. She had always assumed, however, that Kairi would be found out before her, and yet she knew that she would be caught in this job by the Guardians. All she hoped was that no one got hurt.

And she wasn't sure if she liked the term 'borrowed', either.

"I'm not a damn trading card," she huffed.

{-}

The pinkette stood, transformed with Mari to made Lonely Fighter for better strength, as she watched friends, classmates, and other children she did not know, gather to the sound of Black Diamond. The song was beautiful, and she couldn't deny Utau's obvious talent – the effects, however, were harrowing to the young girl as she watched people's dreams being torn from them through a pleasing piece of music. Their eyes were blank, and she could feel the suffocating presence of negative energy. They would soon all birth X-Egg, but she didn't truly worry until she spotted Tadase.

"What is it, Saku-chan?" asked Katsumi, noticing Sakura's distress.

"Hotori is here," she said, nodding to him. "I wonder what's happening to Kiseki because of this. I hope he's okay," the pinkette said quietly, not wanting to draw any attention.

She shuddered when the X-Eggs began floating out of the children's' hearts and into the air above them. The children collapsed as the Eggs were drawn out of them, but Sakura ignored this. Her eyes were stuck to Tadase's form as he grabbed his head in pain – she could only imagine what Kiseki was going through currently.

'_Probably getting an 'X' on his Egg_,' she considered, looking away when Tadase fell to his knees. Her eyes closed tightly as she listened to the song, still playing in the background, and she unknowingly focused on the sound of Ikuto's violin playing behind the vocals, complimenting the sounds of Utau's voice and the other instruments – it calmed her, though she'd never tell him such, especially now.

"What are you waiting for, little puppet?" asked Yukari smugly from the van, raising an eyebrow. "Go to work and get me those Eggs," she ordered, causing Sakura to sneer.

"Right away, you mean old lady," she grumbled, already not liking the woman for the pressure she had put on Kairi. Just as she was about to leap out and collect the Eggs, she froze. Amu, transformed with Ran, had made her way to Tadase. If Sakura went to work now, there would be no way that she would go unnoticed.

"Hurry along," groaned Yukari, "or should I tell the boss that you were being stubborn?" she warned and Sakura scowled, taking a deep breath.

"Here goes," she muttered, "Fighting Tonfa!" she called, running out and leaping over Amu, batting three X-Eggs into a group and pulling the bag from her hip, trapping them inside before moving on to the next group.

"H-Haruno?" gasped Amu as she watched Sakura ignore her, collecting together the X-Eggs and placing them in a brown bag. "What're you doing?" she asked loudly and Sakura looked over, her eyes cold.

"My job," she smirked, "as an agent for Easter."

Gulping at the ice in Sakura's gaze, Amu looked away to try and wake Tadase from his trance. Noticing her lack of attention, Sakura's cruel expression turned sad and she continued to collect the Eggs. She was nearly done when a blinding light emitted from where Amu and Tadase were and the pinkette looked over, her eyes widening as she tried her very best not to laugh at Tadase.

"Chara Nari: Platinum Royal!" he and Kiseki called. The blonde was now dressed up in an outfit that was very frilly and girly, which strangely suited him and yet looked hilarious at the same time. Both turned to her after a brief exchange and she sighed, readying her Tonfa.

"I don't want to fight you, Haruno!" yelled Amu, her expression filled with worry and fear, and Sakura shook off her regret and smirked again.

"Too bad," she sang, dropping the bag – making sure it fell open so the X-Eggs could get out – and running forwards, barely missing Tadase with her first swipe, but knocking him back with the gust of green that shot from her weapon.

Neither the King nor the Yang Joker made any more to retaliate and Sakura inwardly groaned, knowing they wouldn't fight her. Sighing a little, she spun around to attack Amu, but allowed herself to over spin and fell to the ground, clutching her ankle and ending her Chara Nari with Mari. Her Charas flew to her, worried, and she winked at them.

"Oh, my ankle!" she complained loudly. Seeing that she was no longer a threat, Amu and Tadase nodded at one another and turned to the X-Eggs, trapping them before Amu preformed 'Open Heart'.

"A pure white Egg?" noticed Amu when the Heart's Eggs were returned to normal. Sakura stood, no longer having a need to fake an injury, and stared at it as it flew off. She frowned.

'_Was that the Embryo?_' the girl wondered as the van pulled around behind her, the doors opening. Someone pulled her inside and the door was slid shut just as quickly had it had opened, the van then pulling out and driving away.

"You couldn't even grab one!" fumed Yukari as Sakura buckled her seatbelt and sighed, staring out of the window. "Don't sigh and ignore me as if I'm rant on about things you've heard before! You screwed up, and the boss will hear about it!"

"Whatever," Sakura muttered, watching her Charas sitting in her lap, staring up at her sadly. The pinkette tuned out as Yukari spoke to Utau, commenting on how the evening wasn't a complete waste and they'd at least discovered the extent of the power Utau had when transformed with Dia.

They eventually arrived at Easter and Sakura was lead out of the van with Yukari before the driver took off, presumably driving Utau home. The pinkette was dragged by the elbow into the building, all the way up to Director Hoshina's office, where she was finally released. Sakura rubbed her sore elbow and glowered at Yukari, but the woman ignored her.

"What is it, Sanjo?" asked Kazuomi with a sigh, taking in the sight of Utau's manager standing with Sakura.

"This girl purposefully screwed up our plans and helped the Guardians!" roared the woman, pointing at Sakura.

"It's rude to point," scolded the pinkette, a blue rose in her hair. Her Chara-Change with Setsuko ended as quickly as it had started and she sighed, going back to being quiet.

"Haruno-san, you may go," Kazuomi allowed and Sakura shrugged, leaving the building and going home.

"B-Boss," stuttered Yukari, but she stopped when Kazuomi laughed.

"Do you still have your brother running errands for you?" he asked and the woman nodded, confused. "Good," he chuckled, pulling something out of his draw. "Get him to give this to Haruno – as a little present, perhaps. It doesn't matter, so long as it is in her possession by the end of the week."

"Of course, boss," Yukari nodded, smirking.

{-}

"Sakura-san," Kairi greeted the following morning at school, his eyes downcast and his hands behind his back.

"What is it, Kairi-san?" asked Sakura, tilting her head and looking up at the taller boy. "Is something wrong? Were you given another task?" she asked, concerned, and Kairi frowned.

"No, don't worry about me anymore," he said, though he had to force the pleading tone away. "I just wanted to give you something for all the trouble you've gone to on my behalf," he told her, pulling something out from behind his back. The green haired boy handed Sakura the blue velvet box and she hummed, opening it.

"It's beautiful, Kairi-san!" she smiled, holding up the ring and admiring it, not noticing the guilt on Kairi's face when she slipped it on her middle finger. The band was silver, decorated with engraved vines that twisted around a pentagon in the centre, upon which the stone – a circular cut of polished aquamarine – was set.

"That is your birthstone, correct?" he asked, trying to ease his nerves.

"It is," smiled Sakura, lifting up her hand to admire the ring in the light. "I love it, Kairi-san! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it."


	34. Alices In Shugo Land

Chapter Thirty Four

"_Help me..."_

"_...help me..."_

"_I need my big sisters."_

"_Help me!"_

Setsuko was horribly, horribly lost.

She had woken up after retiring to her Egg, only to find herself on a stone pathway in the middle of a forest. Worse still, when she looked around, her Egg vanished and now she was in the middle of nowhere without it. Her eyebrows pulled together and she sighed, floating up to a tree branch and looking around, trying to find anything familiar.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

When Setsuko attempted the familiar act of floating, she found herself grounded and unable to lift off. At first she thought nothing of it, believing that in her panicked state she was stopping herself from lifting, but when she had calmed some and was still unable to move into the air, she gulped, tears springing to her eyes.

"How did this even happen?" she said quietly, looking up around her and seeing nothing but trees.

Behind her, close to the trunk of the nearest tree, she heard something rustle the long grass and she jumped, turning sharply.

The Lolita-Chara gasped when she saw the source of the rustling.

{-}

Mari was angry, currently shown by her loud stomping as she marched up and down the beach she found herself stranded on.

When the green Chara had woken up, it had been to the sounds of the sea and birds squawking overhead. Needless to say, this had annoyed her, and so she had left her Egg to tell whoever was playing 'Sounds of the Seaside' to shut it up, only to find herself on hot white stand. Thus explaining why she is marching the length of an unfamiliar beach, rather than taking what could have been a relaxing stroll. Then again, Mari never has and never would be described as someone who sought out the supposedly 'tranquil' things in life.

Marching, of course, because she was suddenly no more than a mini-human, and therefore unable to float. This thought concerned her, but her primary goal was finding Saku-chan and her sisters. She assumed that perhaps Sakura had brought them to the beach when they were asleep, as a surprise. Mari overlooked the fact that Sakura had no means of getting them there, and it was only when her Egg vanished that she begun to really worry.

"This better not be some prank, Katsumi!" she roared, shaking her fist as she looked towards the cliff opposite the sea, growling. There was nothing else for it – Mari would have to climb.

"My goodness," a soft voice whispered. "How brash of you," it continued.

"Nah," the same voice, but somehow gruffer, continued, "I think she's kinda funny!" she laughed. Mari whirled around, scowling, but her eyes widened when she saw who was behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

{-}

Katsumi bit her lip, her head turning every which way it possibly could as she spun multiple times, trying to take in all of her surrounds.

It was simply no use, and she found herself hopelessly confused in this mushroom patch in the middle a dense wood. Her Egg had disappeared, she was unable to float, her sisters were gone, and she couldn't sense Saku-chan. These facts were sending the red Chara into a flurry of panic as she bit her lip and blinked, hoping that this was, somehow, just one of Mari's pranks.

All of the mushrooms were tall, and the trees were dark and loomed over her like a bad memory. She stood on her toes to try to look over the mushrooms, but daren't look anywhere near the shadowed canopy. Taking a deep breath, Katsumi glanced around her, her eyes instantly spying a figure.

Frowning, she floated over, peering through a thickening mist of bubbles at the Chara sitting, cross-legged and straight-backed, on one of the mushrooms, blowing bubbles. When she got close enough to see who it was, Katsumi very almost turned and went in the opposite direction, but she didn't know if she would find anyone else should she leave. Pushing aside her hesitations, Katsumi opened her mouth.

"Is that you, Musashi?"

{-}

"I bet you're surprised to see me – nya!" laughed Yoru loudly and Setsuko's eye twitched.

She wished it were Musashi.

She wished it were Daichi.

She would even take the Easter goons over this torture!

Heck, she'd prefer _Kiseki_!

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down – it would be unseemly for the dainty Setsuko to be flustered or visibly irate, after all – and glanced sideways at the Cat-Chara carefully. He looked as he always did, like a scruffy troublemaker, but this time there was something different about him. It wasn't that he was floating, as Charas tended to do that, it was more to do with the fact that he was _just a head_.

"Yoru-san," she began delicately.

"Hmm?" he hummed, the head spinning around as though he were exaggerating a curious head-tilt, "What is it, Blue-tiful – nya?"

"You seem to be, umm," she said through gritted teeth, doing her best to ignore the nickname, "just a head, to put it bluntly."

"I know that – nya!" he laughed wildly, spinning again and again until his tail came into view, sweeping down from under his chin and revealing the rest of him as it moved. "Better, Bluebell?" he winked and Setsuko clenched her fists.

"Leave me be, Yoru-san," she said firmly, walking away from him and down the path. As expected, the bane of her existence merely followed her.

"It's not 'Yoru' – nya," he laughed, "I'm Cheshire Yoru, famous for my grin and charm – nya!" he added, using his 'famous grin' and she shook her head.

"The grin, I'll believe," she acquiesced. "However, I refuse to even consider you being charming in any way, shape or form," the Chara concluded with a sharp nod of her head and she began walking again.

"You don't want to go that way, Baby Blue – nya," lectured Yoru playfully, floating around behind her still.

"Oh?" she humoured with a roll of her eyes, without turning towards him, "Why is that?"

"That's the way to the castle – nya."

{-}

"T-Temari?" stuttered Mari, looking at the kimono-wearing Chara, "And a-another Temari?" she continued, looking to the other Chara – who seemed to be identical to Temari in every way.

"I'm Temari Dee," the polite one hummed happily, lifting off the ground.

"Reluctantly, I'm Temari Dumb," the other added, also lifting to the same height as Temari Dee, both bowing to her.

"Welcome to Wonderland!" they sang, spreading their arms. "The world where dreams are real and reality is a dream!"

"What movie did you get that from?" Mari scoffed, snorting and crossing her arms in front of her, "And how come you two float and I don't, huh?"

"We don't know," shrugged Temari Dee, "but what we _do_ know is..."

"...if we don't get you outta here, you'll never find your sisters," grinned Temari Dumb and Mari hummed.

"My sisters are here, too?" she asked, her eyes wide, and the twins nodded.

"All of them," Temari Dumb said, her tone hinting at a secret.

"Setsuko and Katsumi?" asked Mari, confused by the implication.

"Yes, they're here," nodded Temari Dee, smiling mysteriously. Not wanting to waste time with their slyness, Mari sneered.

"Fine, let's go," she growled, taking the lead. "Can you get me up that cliff?"

"Certainly," smiled Temari Dee, taking one of Mari's arms while Temari Dumb took the other. As they lifted her, Mari caught sight of something in the distance.

"Is that a castle?"

{-}

"Musashi!" yelled Katsumi for what felt like the hundredth time, her hands cupping her mouth as she hollered. Just when she was about to give up and try to find someone else, his familiar head popped out over the side of the fungus.

"Do not refer to me in such a familiar way," he scolded. "I am Caterpillar Musashi, and shall be addressed as such."

"You're kidding, right?" she giggled, shaking her head. Frowning, Musashi floated down beside her and Katsumi looked him over, tilting her head. "You look nothing like a caterpillar," she declared and he sighed.

"Just because I do not resemble what I am, does not mean I am not, what I do not resemble," he said and Katsumi's head spun until she managed to come up with an intelligent retort.

"Huh?"

"Pay no heed, you obviously do not understand," he told her, not unkindly, as he floated, preparing to return to his mushroom. "You'll want to head to the castle over yonder," he informed her, pointing East, and Katsumi blinked.

"Why?" the red Chara asked him and Musashi gave her a pointed look.

"It is the largest landmark in Wonderland," Musashi said, "and therefore the place you would most likely come across your sisters."

"Can you help me find it?" she requested, placing a finger to her lips and winking at him. Musashi was unaffected by the flirting.

"A Caterpillar's will is too strong to be broken by frivolous things," he recited and Katsumi's eye twitched.

"Don't you mean a samurai?" she muttered, but he ignored her.

"However, as I must never leave a stranded woman, I shall assist you," he decided, floating in front of her and turning. "As you are unable to lift off the ground, I shall carry you," he explained.

"Oh, okay," agreed Katsumi, climbing onto his back carefully. They took off, Katsumi shrieking when they broke through the canopy, and she looked around, spotting the castle almost instantly.

"Are you alright?" asked Musashi, not looking back but still heading to the castle.

"I'm fine."

{-}

"So, you want to go to the Castle of Hearts because that's where your sisters are – nya?" repeated Cheshire Yoru after being told for the tenth time. They were still walking, or floating in his case, towards the castle, and Setsuko was trying to explain why she felt as though she needed to go there.

"Essentially, yes," she nodded, glancing back at him.

"So, Red Riding Hood and Green Bean are at the castle for sure – nya?" he continued, still sceptical, and Setsuko sighed.

"We should all have a similar idea of where to meet, so yes," she replied, this time not sparing him a look. He was still running the idea through his head, but eventually he nodded, grinning.

"I guess I'll take you then, Curly Blue – nya!" decided Yoru with a firm nod and, casting manners aside, Setsuko turned to him with a dark scowl. Seeing the look on her face, Yoru gulped.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she growled in a very Mari-like way. "Just because I appear delicate and meek, does not mean that I cannot be strong when needed. You are a constant annoyance, and I shall not have your company forced upon me," the Chara said threateningly. "And my name is _not_ 'Curly Blue'," she finalised with a hiss, subconsciously patting down her ringlets, and Yoru, to his credit, didn't back off.

"I realise that you're scarier than I thought," he acknowledged and she glared, causing him to flinch, "a _lot_ scarier – nya – but I'm still taking you, Cornflower."

"Cornflower?" she repeated, her eyebrow twitching.

"Yeah," he guffawed, "They're blue – nya."

"I am aware," Setsuko ground out.

"Come on – nya," Yoru grinned, ignoring her annoyance in favour of escorting her to the castle.

"Why must you insist on this?" she sighed, giving up and continuing to walk.

"Three reasons – nya!" announced Yoru, floating around her until he was in the lead, "Firstly, you're very cute when you're annoyed," he sniggered and she scowled at him, "Secondly, you don't know the way," the Chara continued and Setsuko had to admit he was right, "And thirdly," he paused, looking at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it," Setsuko warned him, but Yoru merely darted forwards and scooped her up into his arms, floating quickly towards the castle.

"Thirdly, this is a lot faster, Sapphire – nya!" he laughed, carrying Setsuko as she protested heartily, hitting his shoulders and yelling at him.

She eventually gave in, letting him carry her, but as they sped through the trees, something gold glinted in the forest and caught her eye. Looking over Yoru's shoulder for another glimpse, Setsuko was almost certain that it was a Golden Egg.

"How strange," she muttered, Yoru giving her a strange look.

"_Help me."_

{-}

Mari was walking between the floating twins, batting them away every time they floated too close to her. She was getting increasingly annoyed by their humming and chattering, both of which she was trying her best to tune out. They were getting louder and louder every second, thus getting more annoying, and Mari was close to snapping. Setsuko's voice in her head scolded her for her short temper, though she could picture a demure smile fighting its way onto her older sister's face as she told the green Chara off.

Sighing, she looked up at the blue sky. She missed Setsuko and Katsumi like nothing else. Mari had only been away from her sister once, when she and Suu had been tricked by Yoru and ended up stranded with a dog in the next town over. Now she was all alone, with the exception of Dumb and Dumber, and she was sorely missing Setsuko's soft voice and Katsumi's boy-crazy mind.

"You look like you're longing for something," noticed Temari Dee with a nod towards Mari, breaking the green Chara from her thoughts.

"I miss my sisters," she mumbled to them, "that's all."

"It must be hard," nodded Temari Dumb sympathetically. This moment of pity lasted two seconds more before the Temari Twins began fighting again.

Rolling her eyes and looking away from them, spying an Egg-shaped shadow on the ground. Looking up, Mari had to shield her eyes from the sun and she saw an outline of an Egg above them. It wasn't doing anything, so Mari dismissed it – she must have been imagining things, for when she looked again it was gone.

A golden Egg peeked out from behind a stone, watching the green Chara walking away.

"_Help me, sister."_

{-}

Musashi was very much leading the way, Katsumi realised as she stared at his back. He was floating along in front of her, his hand permanently resting on the katana at his hip as his eyes darted around for danger. They had flown out of the forest and were now walking through a field, the castle still a shadow in the distance, but it was getting closer.

"You sisters are worried, no doubt," Musashi's voice travelled back to her and Katsumi sighed.

"I'm supposed to be the oldest," she said sadly, looking down as she continued to walk. "It's my job to look after them, but it's always Setsuko that ends up knowing what to do in a situation, or Mari protecting us. I've never helped them the way a sister should, and now the only thing I can do it walk to a castle to meet up with them – I still can't protect them," she cried, tears falling down her face.

"They do not fault you for this," spoke Musashi, though he still did not look back.

"What?" asked Katsumi; she was confused by his vague reply. Musashi glanced at her for a moment before turning back to their path ahead.

"Your sisters do not think you incompetent," he elaborated. "They look to you to hold them together. Setsuko-san may be the mature one, and Mari-san may be the strong one, but you are still the charismatic leader of your sisters. They need you, just as you need them."

"Thanks, Musashi," smiled Katsumi, wiping her tears away. As she did so, she spotted something gold glinting in the grass, but she was in a hurry to save her sisters, and so turned away from it to follow Musashi.

"_Please help me."_

{-}

"You don't like me very much, do you – nya?" Yoru mused, his hands behind his head as he floated to her side. Setsuko had fought against him when they flew closer to the ground and had forced him to put her down.

"No, I do not," Setsuko replied honestly, her eyes glued to the castle a short ways ahead. It was so close now, she could see the gates.

"Why – nya?" he asked, landing in front of her and forcing her to stop. "I've never done anything to you that I haven't done to Mari and Katsumi – nya."

"Mari doesn't like you much, either," Setsuko frowned, "and Katsumi's lovesick, and therefore doesn't count," she added, trying to step around him. Yoru merely matched her steps, stopping her from going forwards.

"I want to know why you don't like me – nya," he said, a serious look on his face. "If you tell me, I'll let you go – nya."

"Very well," nodded Setsuko, accepting his negotiation. "I believe you are ill-mannered and filthy all the time. It is not your fault, it is merely who you are, but I cannot get along with someone who traverses alleys all day and doesn't bathe."

"I do too have baths – nya!" denied Yoru with a frown. "We cats are very hygienic, y'know – nya. I hang out in alleys because I'm an alley cat, but they're not all as dirty as you think. Remember when Sakura found Ikuto in an alley before he took her to the amusement park? Was that one dirty – nya?" he challenged and Setsuko was at a loss for words.

"I...I suppose not," she admitted.

"So, since your reasons are invalid," he grinned cheekily, "you have to like me now – nya!"

"Excuse me?" deadpanned Setsuko, raising an eyebrow.

"You heard me Periwinkle – nya!" the cat Chara sang and Setsuko gave him a disbelieving look.

"How do you know so many shades of blue?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"It _is_ getting a little unbelievable – nya," he admitted, thinking, before a thought came to him. "I guess I'll just go back to Blue-tiful – nya!"

"Oh, for goodness' sake," she groaned, her face settling in a scowl. Ignoring the expression, Yoru grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the castle.

{-}

Mari was relieved when she spotted the castle, just a short walk away. It had taken longer than it would have, were she able to float, but for some reason she was a mini-human here rather than a Chara and was reduced to walking. She hated it, and she had the most endurance out of her sisters. It made her wonder how they were doing.

"Mari-chan, would you like to hear a story?" asked Temari Dee, her eyes lit with delight.

"Ehh, sure," Mari shrugged, believing it would pass the time.

"Ahem," Temari Dumb cleared her throat, "_The Tale of the Heart's Egg_."

"One day an Egg was born," Dee recited.

"To a boy so torn," Dumb picked up.

"That it could not keep up its glow,"

"And so the X was born."

"This X covered the Egg,"

"Turning it black from white,"

"The Heart's Egg cried all through the day,"

"And cried into the night," at this point, Dee and Dumb looked dejected as they spoke their alternating lines.

"The little boy who's heart was torn,"

"Knew nothing of this pain,"

"But instead felt emptiness,"

"And this darkness did not wane."

"The boy spent days just staring,"

"At his failed dream,"

"Knowing nothing would be right,"

"Or so it would seem."

"The X-Egg lived in spite of hurt,"

"And found the little boy,"

"And wished so hard he could be happy,"

"To find something he'd enjoy."

"With most by now their Egg's replaced,"

"With a new thought or hope,"

"But not this boy, who only dreamed,"

"Of walking a tightrope," their tone then changed to happiness once more.

"The Egg was glad the boy did not,"

"Give in and just be sad,"

"Instead the boy just tried again,"

"And gave it everything he had."

"When he fell, he got back up,"

"When he was hurt he healed,"

"He tried and tried and tried once more,"

"His will would never yield!" they cheered.

"The boy's eyes filled up with light,"

"He was no longer torn,"

"The Egg came back and hatched and then,"

"A Shugo Chara was born!" they ended together, grinning. Mari starred at them, unsure of what to say, and realised they were at the castle.

"Thank goodness," she sighed in relief.

{-}

Katsumi was used to talking. She loved to talk – chatting, flirting, gossiping; she just loved it!

Musashi was the silent-type, thus giving her another reason to dislike him.

It was getting on her nerves how the only time he ever spoke was to offer sage-like advice. Good advice, but still – she wanted a conversation, and one she could follow. Not that she was dumb; he was just ridiculously hard to understand most of the time. It also didn't help that he insisted on blowing bubbles shaped like kanji characters ever few seconds.

The relief she felt when she realised that the castle was close by was more than she ever had before in her life.

{-}

"Well, here's the castle, Denim – nya," Yoru sighed as they both looked up at the giant, pink structure. With a determined look on her face, Setsuko took a step forwards, only to be stopped by a paw on her shoulder.

"What is it, Yoru-san?" asked the blue Chara, tilting her head. His face turned red and he vanished, causing Setsuko to frown. "Stop that," she huffed, shaking his paw – which was still on her shoulder, just unseen – away. In an instant, Yoru reappeared, a pleading look on his face.

"I know you have to go in," he said with a sad smile, "to find your sisters and figure all this out, but promise me you'll come back out – nya. If it gets dangerous, you'll come out and find me – nya – or yell for me – nya! I know you're super scary and all, but I'm still worried – nya – and –!"

"Yoru, calm down," she soothed, taking his paws in her hands and smiling at him. "I'll come back out, and if I get into any trouble, I'll call for you. I promise, Yoru," she assured him and Yoru grinned.

"Nya!" he nodded, turning her around and giving her a light push towards the castle, "Go find your answers, Setsuko – nya!"

"I'll be back soon," she promised, taking hurried steps – but never running – through the castle gates.

{-}

"Finally," groaned Mari, rubbing her temples as she came to a stop outside the castle gates. "I'm going inside now. Go away," she barked at them, but the twins just laughed.

"It was fun travelling with you," Temari Dee giggled.

"I hope to see you again soon," Temari Dumb grinned. Glaring at them both, Mari turned around and stormed inside the castle. They both glanced at each other, smiling, before turning around completely.

"Hello, Cheshire Yoru!" they sang, waving to the Cat Chara who was leant against a tree in the shadows. Dancing over, the two joined him, so as not to be spotted.

{-}

Katsumi raised an eyebrow as the sheer pinkness of the castle, almost afraid to go in. She knew she clashed with the building, but still, something was telling her to go inside. So, the little red Chara walked up to the gates, about to enter, but instead turned to Caterpillar Musashi and bowed respectfully, surprising the Chara.

"Thank you for bringing me this far," she smiled before turning and running inside.

"Hmm," smiled Musashi, watching the young Chara go. He then turned as the three other Charas stepped out of hiding. "Is White Rabbit here yet?" he questioned.

"I am," another voice interrupted before the others got a chance to reply. Like Musashi, this Chara looked nothing like the anime he claimed to be, but instead had regular ears and the only hair he had was purple and sat atop his head.

"Hey, White Rabbit Kiseki," groaned Yoru, "I thought it was your job to lead the Alices here – nya," he said. "Not that I'm complaining – nya," he added with a grin, thinking of Setsuko.

"Why did you ask us to do your job?" asked the twins at the same time.

"Indeed, it seems odd," agreed Musashi. Kiseki glanced around them and smirked, pointing up to the sky.

"A Mighty Rabbit never stoops so low as to do chores like a mere, lowly peasant when he can have his loyal subjects do all the hard work!" he proclaimed and all four Charas groaned.

{-}

"They have to be around here somewhere," uttered Setsuko, searching around the hall. For a moment she thought she had sensed a presence like her sisters, and was worried about what it might be. She turned another corner, her eyes widening slightly when she spotted someone familiar.

"You're here – dechu!" yelled Pepe as she darted forwards, floating, and she took Setsuko's hand. "I'm Dormouse Pepe, and I was sent to collect you."

"C-Collect me?" asked Setsuko, slightly worried, "For what?"

"For tea, of course – dechu!" cheered the baby Chara.

"I don't have time for tea!" huffed Setsuko, pulling back as Dormouse Pepe dragged her over to a large, seemingly lopsided room with a long table in through the centre of it, covered in broken plates, cups, teapots and treats.

"So, you're here?" hummed the Chara sitting at the head of the table, a large newsboy cap sitting atop her blue locks.

"Miki?" the blue Lolita Chara gasped, watching her gulp down her tea from a chipped teacup.

"Yo," Miki greeted with a small smile, gesturing for Setsuko to sit – which she did. Pepe then hopped over and sat on the table, near another Chara that Sakura recognised, Kusukusu. "I am Mad Hatter Miki, and this is Dormouse Pepe and March Hare Kusukusu!" she announced, folding her arms.

It was at this point that Setsuko noticed it.

Right behind Miki sat a Shugo Egg, gold in colour and with a sun symbol on it.

This was her younger sister who she never knew.

The break in the Egg was prominent, and the once vibrant gold was obviously dulled.

"The Egg?" mused Miki with a smile.

"Yes, it's broken," sighed Setsuko sadly and Miki stood up suddenly.

"Is it?" she hummed, walking to the egg. "All that we need to do is combine two parts, right?" the blue artist Chara considered.

"You mean the halves of the Egg?" replied Setsuko, slightly confused. "It's not that simple."

"It is," nodded Miki. "Time to move!" she suddenly said, and Setsuko found herself pulled up from her seat by Kusukusu, who laughed at the situation, and the four Charas changed seats. The Lolita Chara was soon in the seat closest to the door.

"How is it simple?" continued Setsuko, wanting to know how to fix her sister's Egg. Miki stood, with a slight smile, and held up both her hands. On one hand, she had painted a pair of lips, while the other was covered in honey-coloured paint. Without saying a word, Miki pressed her two hands onto the Egg, and it glowed, the crack fixing itself.

"Now you can go," said Miki, not turning to face her. Before Setsuko could get a word out, she was shoved towards the door by Dormouse Pepe and March Hare Kusukusu.

{-}

Mari was getting irritated with wandering the halls of the castle and decided to try something else. Rather than find another corridor to get lost in, she picked a random door and walked inside, finding herself in a kitchen. A Chara turned to look at her upon arrival, one who she recognised instantly. This Chara was her Amu-counterpart, Suu.

"Suu, what're you doing here?" she grinned, walking quickly over to the green Chara, but then she laughed. "Well, I guess I _would_ find you in a kitchen," she mused.

"I am not Suu – desu," the Chara denied, "I am Cook Suu."

"O-Oh, sorry," Mari stuttered, only to duck when Suu threw a spatula at her head.

"No stuttering in my kitchen – desu!" she yelled, floating over and collecting the spatula. Mari backed away, her back bumping against something, and she turned, her eyes widening.

"The Golden Egg!" she gasped, seeing her sister egg right there. Suu floated over and nodded.

"Yes, the Egg," she smiled. "This is what inspired me to make so much honey – the colour is lovely," the Cook nodded, seemingly calm, when all of a sudden she hit Mari over the head with a wooden spoon. "If you're here, you have to help – desu!" she demanded.

That was how Suu forced Mari to mix batter, chop vegetable, sweep the floors, polish the counters and watch water boil. She was very tired by the time she was done, having to listen to Suu yell at her and complain when she did things wrong, and she walked over to a chair to sit down. Accidentally, Mari knocked over a jar of vinegar, which then fell into a large pot of sticky golden goo.

"The honey is ruined!" wailed Suu, looking at the mess Mari had accidentally made. "This took me so long to make!"

"Can't just remake it all?" panted Mari, tired of the whining and complaining cook, and Suu huffed, folding her arms.

"It's very difficult to remake honey – desu!"

"R-Remake...?" the other green Chara gasped, looking at the Golden Egg. "What did you just say?"

"It's hard to remake honey – desu," grumbled Suu, rolling her eyes. "Some people just don't listen – desu."

"Remake Honey," the Chara muttered, making a break for the door as Suu peppered the soup. She darted out, grabbing the hands of Temari Dee and Temari Dumb, before grinding to a halt, seeing someone else running down the corridor that led to the throne room.

"What is it?" asked the twins and Mari grinned, releasing them and waving her arms.

"Katsumi!" she called in joy.

{-}

"You!" barked a familiar Chara, and Katsumi turned, finding two Charas she vaguely knew – both belonging to Utau – Il and El.

"What're you two doing here?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I am Fish Il," announced the Devil Chara.

"I am Frog El," proclaimed the other.

"We are servants of the Duchess Dia, here to serve her during her visitation to Queen Ran of Hearts," the two said at the same time, and Katsumi snorted.

"Queen Ran of Hearts?" snorted Katsumi, shaking her head.

"It is best not to anger the Queen," El warned her and the broken heart Chara huffed, crossing her arms.

"Let me guess, the King is Kiseki?" she mused and Il smirked, sniggering.

"Of course not," she told her. "The King is never referred to by this name, but he is known by Queen Ran as 'Daichi'," she said and Katsumi promptly collapsed in laughter.

"Who dares use my name?" a booming voice from behind the large doors sounded and the Angel and Devil Charas bowed to Katsumi before hastily pushing her inside. She turned to glare at them, only to have the doors slammed in her face, and then she looked back around to the thrones in the centre of the room.

"Me, I guess," she giggled.

"Katsumi?" gasped Daichi, a grin split across his face, but when Ran loudly cleared her throat his angry look was plastered back on his face.

"We acknowledge you, lesser being," said Ran in a snooty voice, her nose upturned. "What is it you have come to seek?" she asked and Katsumi glared, pointing a finger at Ran.

"You little brat!" she yelled. Her face changed, however, when she spotted the Golden Egg between the thrones. The sun on it was clear, and there was not a crack in sight, and on top of it sat Amu's X-Chara, Dia.

"I see you are in awe of my prized possession," laughed Ran, patting the side of the Egg. "It was broken when I received it, but I soon kissed it better!"

"We tried that, though!" yelled Katsumi, referring to the 'Healing Kiss' Sakura had attempted. "It didn't work."

"A kiss is not enough alone, of course," nodded Daichi, standing. "You have all the information you need," he decided, walking over and pushing her towards the doors.

"W-What?" she yelped, looking back and finding the Egg suddenly gone, "Where is it?"

"It comes and goes," shrugged Ran with a smile. "Just like you!"

"The radiance of the Egg has not faded," said Dia softly, gazing at Katsumi with blank eyes.

"Time to go!" laughed Daichi, pushing a confused Katsumi out of the door.

"Beware of gifted jewels," warned Dia before the doors were slammed in her face. Katsumi frowned, confused about Dai's cautioning. She began looking for the Angel and Devil Charas to scold them, but they were gone. Instead, the red Chara decided it was time to leave. Her sisters were not here, obviously, and she sadly made her way outside.

"Katsumi!" she heard from in front of her, and she looked up. Standing just outside the gates was Mari.

"Mari!" she laughed, running to catch up to her sister.

{-}

Setsuko was sneaking around the castle, wary about running into another Chara, until she spotted a window that led outside. Not wanting to use such unladylike methods, but also knowing her chances of finding the door were slim, the blue Chara took a deep breath and climbed out over the window-frame. Once outside, Setsuko spotted her guide.

"Yoru!" she called, watching him turn to her, his bored face lighting up.

"Setsu-chan!" he cooed, floating over and taking her hand. "You got what you need from Crazy Cap Miki?" he asked, sniggering, and the blue Chara nodded, smiling. He grinned widely, tugging her onto his back as he took off.

"Thank you for helping me, Yoru," she smiled sweetly and he looked down, his expression soft.

"My pleasure, Setsuko," he replied, grinning. The two held each other's gaze for a while longer, just floating there, until a loud voice broke their trance.

"Is that Setsuko and Yoru?"

"Yoo-hoo!"

Yoru lowered Setsuko to the ground again and she ran, joining her sisters in a hug. They all held their sister Charas, having missed them on their short journeys to the castle, and when they moved away from each other all three had a determined look in her eye. Both Setsuko and Mari looked towards Katsumi, their older sister, to determine what would happen next.

"Did you two get any really obscure advice that seems to make sense?" she asked them, looking between the younger Charas, both of whom nodded.

"I was told by Suu to 'Remake Honey'," grinned Mari, "though not in so many words."

"Miki told me that all we needed to do was 'combine'," said Setsuko, still looking a little lost, but everything was becoming slightly clearer.

"Ran said that it would work if we kissed it better," finished Katsumi and all three exchanged looks again. "Do you know what we have to do?" she asked to confirm that they were all on the same page. Katsumi placed her hand in front of her, looking between her sisters.

"Yes," nodded Setsuko, placing her hand on top of Katsumi's.

"Me too," agreed Mari, putting her hand in.

As soon as the girls touched hands, they felt the world around them slipping away and giving in to darkness. Cheshire Yoru was yelling his goodbyes to Setsuko, while the Temari twins were giving Mari a farewell dance and Musashi was bowing his head to Katsumi. The sister looked up when a bright glow appeared above their heads, spotting their sister Egg.

"_Help me,"_ it whispered before the light became blinding and they all looked away. Their own Eggs floated down from the bright light, closing around them slowly.

{-}

Setsuko's eyes sprang open suddenly and she sat up, opening her Egg. As she looked around the room, she watched the Eggs of her sister open with the same urgency and their eyes met, the three nodding at each other. They floated – glorious floating – towards the sleeping Sakura, shaking her shoulders and jumping on her cheeks.

"Wake up, Saku-chan!" called Katsumi and Sakura groggily opened her eyes, moving the girls away with a wave of her hand.

"What is it?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"We know how to fix the Gold Egg!" the three yelled at once, causing Sakura to wake with a start.

"Really?" she gasped, "How?"

As the girls told Sakura all about their dream and what it had helped them realise, the Golden Egg glowed slightly, sparkles of sunlight gently falling from the broken shell to the shelf it was sat on. A blurred, shadowing image of a Chara appeared inside, smiling.

"_Thank you."_


	35. Healing Honey

Chapter Thirty Five

"So, I have to combine my Healing Kiss with Hinamori's Remake Honey?" asked Sakura, holding her golden Egg in her hands. She gently placed it on her bed in front of her and her Charas stood around it.

"That's all!" nodded Mari, grinning. Setsuko sighed, shaking her head.

"This may be more difficult that we had thought," she realised, looking up at her owner.

"Right," Sakura frowned. "Hinamori and Hotori-san know I'm an Easter Agent now," she remembered, closing her eyes and falling back against her pillows with a heavy sigh. "This is my only hope, though! Surely Hinamori won't say no!" the pinkette tried to assure herself, though a somewhat cynical though entered her mind. _'She didn't say no to Ikuto,'_ she grouched, thinking back to the two looking so close and cosy.

"She can't," agreed Katsumi with a firm nod of her head. "Amu knows how hard it is to lose an Egg, so why wouldn't she help you with yours?"

"You're right," confirmed Sakura, standing from her bed and picking up the broken Egg, placing it on her dresser. "Asking her is all I can do and if she says no I'll have to beg. This Chara was meant to be born and I will _not_ give up!"

"Right!" her Charas agreed.

"Afterwards, though," Sakura scowled, looking at her bedroom window with a glare. _'His entryway of choice,'_ she mused, thinking of windows in general – as far as she knew, Ikuto had never entered through her bedroom.

"I am not so sure the incident with Ikuto-san was an incident such as the one you are imagining, Saku-chan," the blue Chara of the trio attempted to soothe, but all three knew it was hopeless. Sakura was extremely jealous, and her inferiority complex regarding Amu only served to make the feeling worse.

"Why did he have to choose her?" she asked herself quietly, her saddened eyes looking only at her broken Egg. _'Hinamori's Egg has an 'X'. That's harder to fix than a break, right? My Egg broke accidentally, while Hinamori drove her Egg away. I'm better than her,'_ she tried to convince herself, only to sigh and bury her face in her hands.

Feeling a sharp coldness on her cheek, Sakura pulled her hands away and stared at her right middle finger, seeing the ring Kairi had given her. She frowned and made a move to take it off – obviously having forgotten before she went to bed – but paused, a small scowl appearing on her face. Amu had even received a gift first from Kairi – her punk-style wrist band.

Sure, the ring was more elegant and appeared to be far more expensive, but aside from her birthstone, the ring wasn't Sakura's style – it was beautiful, without a doubt, but the Haruno girl typically wore no jewellery; mainly because she found it uncomfortable. Amu's gift matched her usual style and personality, proving that more thought had gone into it.

"What is it, Saku-chan?" asked Katsumi, seeing the distressed expression covering her owner's face, as well as the sadness in her eyes.

"It seems as though I only get looked on with eyes filled with wonder, fear, or pity," Sakura realised, her gaze stuck to the ring. "The only person here to ever look at me and truly seem to want to be my friend over Hinamori Amu was Yaya-san, but she's just a friendly person."

"Not true!" rejected Mari, frowning. "What about Kukai?" she challenged and Sakura snorted.

"He was after Hinamori until he found out I was a girl," she recalled, "and then he _fainted_."

"Passed out," coughed the green Chara, but Sakura merely rolled her eyes.

"Next?" she dared and the Charas thought.

"Kairi-san came straight to you with his issues concerning his mission for Easter," Setsuko remember and Sakura sighed.

"I was the only one who knew his sister was a member," she countered.

"Nagihiko," cried Katsumi suddenly, remembering the long-haired youth.

"That cross-dresser only noticed me after he fell all over Hinamori, claiming that she was 'Nadeshiko's' best friend," the pinkette scoffed.

"Iku –"

"Don't," Sakura interrupted Mari with a groan as she placed a hand over her eyes, falling back onto her bed. A tear fell down her cheek. "Hinamori is taking Ikuto, and I _still_ need her help. I have to _ignore_ what I saw in favour of begging her to cast Remake Honey – it's already hard enough without you mentioning _him_."

{-}

Ikuto tried to catch Sakura on her way to school, as he had done when he had asked her about Easter and her father. It seemed, however, that she was either running late or early. When he came to the cross section he typically stopped her at when he needed to talk to her – also the place he had played her a violin song for her birthday – there was no sign on pink hair.

"Over there – nya!" cried Yoru, spotting a head of pink. Ikuto whirled around, fully prepared to tackle Sakura and hold her in place until she listened, when he noticed that this girl was much taller than Sakura, with honeyed eyes rather than green.

"This isn't happening," he sighed, looking around and finally finding a tree to hide in until Amu passed by. The taller pinkette had become a thorn in his side, what with constantly putting herself – and the Humpty Lock – in danger. If it weren't for him, the lock would be in Easter's hands and for all he knew Sakura could have been made disposable.

He would never allow that to happen.

Sakura would be free of Easter, but through her own choice and not because they were kicking her to the curb. If she had no job at Easter then she would have to leave the apartment complex, and from there he didn't know if she would actually have a place to go. Ikuto couldn't allow the reluctantly sweet girl to be homeless and unable to afford schooling, even if he had to take her in and work twice as hard in the awful company to put her through school.

Ikuto shook this idea from his head, knowing it was completely implausible. For one thing, he wouldn't have been allowed to stay, unless she slept on the sofa or he snuck her past his mother and she shared his room. Also, Sakura probably hated him right now, and so would never accept his offer to live with him – and his mother – let alone his money. She would see it as charity, and would probably feel insulted; this would then make her hate him _more_.

"As if she probably doesn't hate me enough," he groaned, placing a hand over his eyes.

"There she is Ikuto – nya!" announced Yoru, pointing rapidly. Ikuto leapt out of the tree, landing directly in front of Sakura, unable to meet her eye.

Both stayed still, completely, for a moment. Even Katsumi was deceptively blank, not squealing or fawning over Yoru as usual. Concerned by this change in attitude, Ikuto looked up and midnight blue clashed with grassy green.

There was no anger or hate in her eyes, just hurt and confusion.

Stunned at the revelation that Sakura, in fact, did _not_ despise his very existence, Ikuto couldn't move to stop her.

Sakura walked past him to school.

{-}

Amu and Tadase looked at each other nervously as they watched Sakura walking into school, looking around. She spotted Amu and seemed to hesitate, taking a step towards her before retreating into the school. Her Charas flew behind her, throwing the Guardians sad looks. Rima, Yaya, and Kairi had all witnessed this, and they looked at their King and Joker, confused.

"What's going on with Sakura-chi, Amu-chi?" asked Yaya.

"It seems strange – dechu," hummed Pepe.

"Well," Amu sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "It seems that Haruno is working for Easter."

"What?" yelled Yaya; so loudly that several students stopped to stare at the group. Unnoticed, Kairi looked away, a guilty expression on his face. "Saku-chi can't be in Easter – she's nice, and kind, and thoughtful, and she's never done anything bad!"

"She was there last night, helping whoever was gathering the X-Eggs," Tadase said sadly, looking down.

"It didn't seem like she wanted to hurt anyone, though," Amu recalled, staring at the sky in thought. "She faked an injury when she realised that we wouldn't fight her, and dropped the bag of X-Eggs so they could get out and I could use Open Heart on them. I don't think Haruno's bad, but I know for sure she's a part of Easter."

"She said so herself," nodded Ran, tears in her eyes.

"She looked so sad – desu," Suu hiccupped.

"And Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari looked hurt, like fighting against Amu-chan was painful," Miki added.

"Whatever's going on with Haruno, we need to help her," Amu decided, everyone agreeing. "For now, though, we have another problem, too."

"The teaser CDs are drawing out X-Eggs," Tadase picked up, telling the other Guardians of the trouble from last night as they all headed over to the Royal Garden.

{-}

When Sakura arrived at school, her eyes found Amu almost instantly. She was just standing there, and the smaller pinkette would have been fully able to go over and explain her situation without any problems. However, she then noticed that Amu was standing with the Guardians, and both she and Tadase were giving her rather wary, unsure looks. Shaking her head, she turned and walked inside the school building.

"Saku-chan!" yelled Katsumi in a scolding tone, "That was your chance! You should have asked her then!"

"I couldn't," Sakura whispered, rubbing her eyes and placing a gentle hand on her bag. The golden egg was lying inside, wrapped up carefully. "She was with the others – I'm going to have a hard enough time asking Hinamori for help without them hanging around."

"We have to ask her," said Setsuko, her eyes downturned.

"Yeah!" agreed Mari loudly, "I'm tired of being the youngest!" she joked, grinning as she floated down to the bag, patting it. "I'm gonna pick on you," she promised with a wide smile as she laughed. Sakura smiled too, watching as all three of her Charas cooed over their unborn sister and she felt her heart break.

She couldn't be a coward.

Sakura knew her Egg could be healed, that her unknown Chara would be born and live happily as a part of their little family. All she had to do was ask Amu for help. This was the hard part, she realised with a wince. Asking for help was something she had never done – it wasn't in her to accept her own weakness when it was avoidable, but this time she knew it was not.

She would ask for help.

...First though, she would go to class.

As she made her way to her classroom, her mind wandered to Ikuto.

When he had fallen into her path, she had considered for a moment the option of just running away, far away, and escaping the argument she knew would come as soon as one of them spoke. However, he seemed to freeze when their eyes met, and she was able to make a stealthy escape.

Sakura had no doubts in her mind that he would try again – knowing her luck; he would be on her sofa when she returned home.

Trying her hardest to remove him from her thoughts, Sakura took out her school equipment and sat at her desk.

Jealousy would only halt her asking Amu for help.

After all, the taller pinkette seemed to have it all, but if she could forget about Ikuto, she could forget about one more think Amu had that Sakura wasn't good enough for.

{-}

First Period was a bore, as always. So, Sakura entertained herself by allowing Katsumi and Mari to play out a battle – with Mari being an X-Egg and Katsumi being Lonely Heart. When Setsuko floated in to play a rogue who deviously stole the Egg, her blood ran cold.

This was the company she was a part of.

Easter did this – steal X-Egg for their personal gain. They ignored the hopes and dreams of every child they stole from, sometimes destroying their distressed Heart's Eggs in the process. Tears sprung to her eyes when she realised how close she had come to helping them on the night she had confessed to Amu that she was an enemy.

Setsuko had lost the battle – as Easter tends to do – and had commented on how she preferred to play the damsel or Lonely Rose. So, the Charas switched around and though Mari complained about being a damsel in distress, Sakura was glad that there was no villain this time other than X-Egg-Katsumi, who found against Lonely Rose Setsuko.

Sakura smiled this time. Perhaps her Gold Chara would like playing the damsel, or maybe she – like the others – preferred playing her Chara Nari role. She may even enjoy adding a new role to the game, something the trio had not yet added to their playing.

With every thought of her unborn Egg, Sakura's drive to approach Amu became stronger and stronger until, eventually, she was almost leaping out of her seat in the middle of class and kidnapping Suu and Amu to perform Remake Honey. She only hoped that Amu would agree, but knew now that nothing was too low for her to consider – she would beg, if she had to.

When Second Period ended, Sakura used the break between classes to find Amu and carry out her plan. She walked up and down the Sixth Grade hallways, unable to find the taller pinkette. So, she descended the stairs and checked the Fifth Grade corridor, and then the Fourth Grade level. The small pinkette had very almost given up her search on this level and walked down to Third Grade when she found her.

Sakura turned a corner and paused, hiding back around it when she saw Amu and Rima, both with a collection box, taking the X-CDs from the students. She bit her lip and sighed, shaking her head as she straightened up and took a CD from the hands of an unknowing First Year. They were about to complain, but backed down when they saw that it was Haruno Sakura who had taken it.

"Saku-chan," whispered Katsumi, watching her owner bravely walk up to Amu and tap her shoulder.

"Yes?" responded Amu, turning. She glared when she saw that it was Sakura behind her, and the smaller pinkette quickly dropped the CD into the collection box.

"We need to talk," she said firmly, her expression set and leaving no room for argument. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to stop from scowling at the Ikuto-stealer, remembering that she needed _help_ not a _fight_.

"Right," Amu nodded, putting her box down. "I'll be back soon," she said to Rima, smiling. The two pinkettes then walked down the halls, side by side, ignoring the whispers of curious students as they strode up to the roof.

Sakura led the way once they got to the final flight of stairs; she pushed on the release bar, opening the door, and the two girls walked out to stand in the centre of the roof. They faces each other, neither speaking, both with blank expressions on their faces. Their Charas were beside them, and it seriously looked as though they were about to duel.

"Why did you join Easter?" asked Amu at last, and both girls dropped their blank expressions. Amu adopted a concerned look, while Sakura just looked upset.

"Personal reasons," she muttered and Amu frowned.

"Is it because of Ikuto?" she accused and the smaller pinkette looked up sharply, scowling.

"I haven't seen Ikuto since I saw him with _you_," Sakura hissed, lying but still causing Amu to flinch, though the smaller girl was able to calm down. "After my father...you know...I had trouble with money. I was going to lose my apartment, my tuition, and have no money for food and clothes and stuff. They'd already invited me a while ago, but I turned them down. I only accepted because I was desperate."

"We could have helped you!" yelled Amu, storming across the roof and grasping Sakura's shoulders tightly. "I thought we were your friends, yet you tell us nothing!"

"You seem to do a good job of snooping around anyway!" roared Sakura, her original goal lost to her anger. "You had no right to break into my private records and find out about my life! I didn't tell you because I didn't want any of you to worry, because I _care_! I can't...I don't know how to accept help from friends," she admitted, heavy tears falling down her cheeks. "I never learned to ask for help – I was raised to be by myself, always, waiting for my Papa to come home. This time...This time he didn't, and I didn't know what to do."

"Sakura," Amu called and the smaller girl looked up, eyes still wet with unshed tears, and Amu smiled, pulling her into a hug. "We care, too," she told her, "and you never need to worry about asking for help. When there's something wrong, friends will always be there for you, no matter what."

"I'm with Easter now, though," she sniffed, pulling back and wiping her face on her sleeve. _'And I don't know if I can forgive you,'_ the girl added mentally as another flash of Ikuto's face flitted through her mind.

"Quit," said Amu without any hesitation.

"I live in their apartment building," the girl continued, _'Where he no longer visits me. Is he at your place, Hinamori?'_

"Move out," retorted the taller girl with the same conviction. "You can move in with me!"

"You don't have the space," laughed Sakura, smiling weakly. _'I bet Ikuto's there all the time, taking up any spare room by lounging around and – stop it! He's not the focus right now!'_

"Then live with Yaya or something," she shrugged, not giving up. "Tell the school Chairman what's going on – I'm sure he'll help out. He's always looking out for the students. I'll even go with you, if you want."

"I do," Sakura nodded, stepping forwards and taking Amu's arm as the girl began to walk towards the door. "Thank you, Amu."

"What're friends for?" giggled the taller girl, looking down. "Hey, did you hit a growth spurt or something? You've gotten a lot taller!"

"Ah, you noticed?" smiled Sakura, holding a hand above her head, "I'm 4'7" –nearly as tall as Yaya now! Not long until I'm taller than you, Amu!"

"It is gonna be a while before you hit 5'0", Sakura," Amu grinned, shaking her head slightly. "That's a really nice ring," she continued, noticing it on Sakura's hand as they walked down the stairs, arm-in-arm.

"I know," laughed Sakura, holding her hand out. "Kairi-san gave it to me."

"Really?" gasped the taller girl. "So, you two are actually dating?"

"Not in a million years."

"Still stuck on older guys?"

'_Just like you, right?'_ thought Sakura with a mental sneer, but she shook it off and continued to smile.

{-}

Ikuto sat in his Third Period class, staring out of the window with his pen hanging between his lips. Yoru was off somewhere, as usual, and he found himself alone in a class full of people. A thousand thoughts were running through his mind, all focused on one this – and it wasn't the geometry test his teacher was droning on about.

Sakura – her bright green eyes, her long pink hair, her wounded expression when she saw him.

His eyes moved from the clouds to his desk and he sighed, the pen falling to the wood. All eyes swivelled to him at the noise and Ikuto looked up, glaring at his teacher. The man frowned and continued teaching, and a few sniggers travelled around the room. Most of the girls were now openly staring at the handsome student and he wished he'd skipped school, as per usual.

The bell sounded and Ikuto was the first to leave, having nothing to gather or pack away. He walked out of the classroom door, down the halls and stairs, and out of the front entrance, his eyes fixed on the school gates. He was so close now he could taste the freedom. Just before he'd made it off school grounds – fully intent on leaving and never coming back – a voice called out to him.

"Ikuto-san!" a girl's voice sounded from behind him. Ikuto's first thought was to ignore it and keep going, but he reluctantly turned around anyway.

"What is it, Itsumi-san?" he asked lazily and she blushed. Dread filled Ikuto at that point, knowing what was coming. The High School girl fiddled with the hem of her skirt and bit her lip, meeting his eye for a moment before her gaze fell to the ground.

"I – I really like you," she confessed and it took everything in him to stop from groaning. This was _not_ what he needed right now. At least, this wasn't coming from the right _person_.

'_As if Sakura would ever confess like that,'_ he thought to himself, not daring to enter the territory of whether or not Sakura would even think of confessing to _him_. _'She may just confess to that Soma brat,'_ Ikuto scowled and the girl before him looked frightened, thinking the expression was directed at her.

"I-Ikuto-san?" she stuttered, now even more unsure of herself, and he snapped out of his thoughts, focusing on the girl. Her light blonde hair reminded him of Utau – another confession he shuddered to think of – while her green eyes brought up thoughts of the girl he wished was confessing to him right now.

"I'm sorry, Itsumi-san," he said blankly, shaking his head. Tears filled the girl's eyes as he rejected her, and she spun around, running back into the school crying. "Why do they always cry?" he hissed, covering his face with his hands.

"Break hearts, Tsukiyomi?" mused another voice, this time a boy, and Ikuto looked over his shoulder. Sandy hair and a Middle School uniform clued him in and Ikuto snorted.

"Shouldn't brats be in school right now?" he asked and Kukai rolled his eyes.

"You wouldn't be saying that if _Sakura_ came to talk to you," the boy retorted quickly. Ikuto drew back, having no reply to that, and Kukai smirked.

"You came to talk to _me_?" asked Ikuto, his eyes narrowing as he grinned mockingly. "Are you here to confess too? Sorry, but I'm afraid –"

"You're really not my type," interrupted Kukai, his face angry. "I came to ask what you did to Sakura," he explained, knowing he had hit the mark when Ikuto flinched. The Middle School student had noticed – when Sakura was at his house – that she seemed to draw back whenever Ikuto was mentioned.

"I didn't do anything," muttered Ikuto, looking at the school building in distain.

"Then why was she so upset yesterday?" he persisted, not expecting Ikuto to whirl around and growl at him.

"She misunderstood a situation," the older teen said scornfully. "It has nothing to do with you, and I've had enough people ruin my day without _you_ accusing me of hurting the one person I try to _help_ more than anyone!"

"What have you ever done to help her!" roared Kukai. Ikuto sneered at him, bending until they were face-to-face.

"Did _you_ know Sakura joined Easter?" he challenged and Kukai's eyes widened at the news. "Didn't think so," he mocked. "Well, _I'm_ the reason she rarely got jobs. Every time they were thinking of assigning something to her, I picked up the job and did it before she caught wind of it. Every theft, espionage, and sabotage mission she would have been assigned fell to me, so that I could _protect_ her."

"You –" Kukai cut his accusation off, knowing he was now fighting a losing battle.

"What did _you_ ever do for her?" the teen continued, raising an eyebrow as he backed off slightly. Kukai looked down and sighed – he had listened, given her some half-baked advice from time to time, and since he'd entered Middle School he'd basically ignored her unless her situation was shoved in his face.

"You're right," admitted Kukai, but determination was written over his face rather than defeat, "but that doesn't mean I'll just give in. Sakura can't hear your name without flinching, yet she sat down to eat with me and my family just yesterday. I _won't_ lose to you, Tsukiyomi."

"You're naive, brat," Ikuto snorted, shaking his head. "She ran to you _once_, but there have been so many times she's called for my help, come running to _me_, and you may have had a little _family dinner_ with her, but she and I have actually sat on her sofa, sharing pasta and watching a movie."

"So?" asked Kukai, frowning. He had a lot of catching up to do.

"_So_, you've already lost," the older teen told him, patting his head. Kukai batted his hand away and turned, storming off and going back to school.

Shaking his head, Ikuto left the school grounds and walked towards his usual field, where he would no doubt find Yoru. There he would spend the rest of the day asleep, comfortably resting against the soft grass, and then he would find Sakura and explain everything to her.

He couldn't lose her to the brat for two reasons.

Firstly, Sakura meant too much to him to see her running off with another man.

He smiled, thinking of their spats and fallings out, but then the unspoken forgiveness and fresh meals sneakily put in the fridge before he came over.

Secondly, their friendship meant too much to _her_ to allow someone else to come between them.

{-}

"So, you can't fix it?" hummed Amu, looking at the broken Egg sadly. They were both in the Royal Garden after school ended, where Sakura had spilled out her reason for seeking Amu in the first place. She had put her golden Egg on the table between them, sitting in her old seat, and they had talked about it at length.

"No, and that's why I need your help," Sakura told her, looking towards her gold-eyed friend. Amu looked up and nodded.

"Let's go," she smiled, about to Chara Nari when the other Guardians walked in, Yaya spotting Sakura instantly.

"Spy!" she yelled, rushing forwards and tripping, all the CDs in the box she was carrying spilling out over the ground, "Wah! Injured!" she cried, nursing her aching knee.

"It's bad – dechu!" wailed Pepe over the superficial wound.

"Haruno-san," Tadase spoke loudly, "what're you doing here?"

"It's okay," Amu assured them. "Sakura explained everything, and it's getting fixed. Her being with Easter was a misunderstanding, but I'll explain more later on."

"What is she doing here?" asked Rima, eyeing the smaller of the pinkettes cautiously.

"My Gold Egg broke," she told them sadly and the Guardians walked over, looking down at her Egg. "Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari figured out a way that we might be able to fix it, but I need Amu's help."

"We're going to combine Remake Honey and Healing Kiss," Amu told them and they all gasped.

"Those are two very powerful manoeuvres," said Kairi, his eyes wide as he looked between the pink-haired girls. "We have no idea what combining them might lead to."

"Hopefully, a fixed Egg," Amu smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Suu," she called, glancing at her green Chara.

"Us too, Mari," Sakura smiled.

"Watashi no Kokoro," Amu spoke.

"Watashi no Kokoro," copied Sakura.

"Unlock!" they called in union, twisting their hands in front of their chests.

Mari and Suu floated together, their Eggs closing around them, and the girls drew them back into their hearts.

Green sparkles surrounded Sakura completely, covering her form. Starting at her feet, the sparkles shifted to create her outfit and then exploded from her body to reveal her clothes. On her feet, she wore green leather boots, and the sparkles on her legs blew off to reveal rainbow socks. Twisting in the air, Sakura moved her hips, the sparkles flying off to reveal a pair of dark green khaki shorts that folded at her thighs.

She spread her arms suddenly, the sparkles exploding from her chest to show a green, cross-strapped top that tied at the back on her neck with darker green patches all over it. The sparkles travelled down her arms and around her neck at the same time, flying off to show green striped arm socks and three green bangles on each arm, and a compass and goggles around her neck. The sparkles then gathered her hair up into two long pigtails.

In one final explosion of green sparkles, a large swirl appeared on her head, attached to a headband. Sakura spun around, her arms up, and she struck three poses – one of a mid-air kick, one of a punch, and the final one of a devious smile, before she crossed her arms and winked.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Fighter!" she and Mari called.

"Chara Nari: Amulet Clover!" the taller pinkette and Suu called, also finishing their transformation. The two green transformations stood next to each other, and nodded once. Sakura placed the broken Egg on the ground and the Guardians moved back as the girls placed themselves at a distance, on either side of the Egg.

"Remake honey!" called Amu, directing it straight towards the broken Egg.

"Healing Kiss!" cried Sakura at the same time.

Their attacks combined and filled the area with a bright light and everyone held their arms in front of their faces, their eyes narrowing at the blinding brightness of the light. The plants, Golden Egg, Charas, and people all began to glow as everything was fixed and restored to normal. The flowerbeds surrounding them seemed to brighten, filled with more life than ever before, the Charas felt themselves fill with warmth and the people felt refreshed. Sakura's broken golden Egg floated between the girls, glowing brightly.

"My Egg," gasped Sakura, watching in awe as the cracks slowly healed. Another formed around the middle of the Egg and Sakura panicked, Mari leaving her as she returned to normal. The light faded and Sakura stared at her Egg, watching it open as a Chara was revealed.

Her hair, black like her sisters, was long and loose, falling to her hips in waves of ebony. The clothing she wore comprised of a white dress with a sheer gold tabard, held close to her waist by a gold belt. On her feet were ballerina shoes, also gold, and atop her head was a headband – in gold as well – which held yellow sun symbol in the same way the other Charas' symbols were shown.

"Sakura-chan," the Chara smiled, opening her eyes to reveal a warm, dream-hazed gold.

"You're here," Sakura whispered in joy, tears collecting in her eyes.

"I am very glad that you never lost faith in me, Sakura-chan," the Chara said, floating to her master and remaining at face-level with the awed pinkette. "My name is Mitsu, and I am very happy to be here with you and my sisters."


	36. Under Their Control

Chapter Thirty Six

"My Egg," gasped Sakura, watching in awe as the cracks slowly healed. Another formed around the middle of the Egg and Sakura panicked, Mari leaving her as she returned to normal. The light faded and Sakura stared at her Egg, watching it open as a Chara was revealed.

Her hair, black like her sisters, was long and loose, falling to her hips in waves of ebony. The clothing she wore comprised of a white dress with a sheer gold tabard, held close to her waist by a gold belt. On her feet were ballerina shoes, also gold, and atop her head was a headband – in gold as well – which held yellow sun symbol in the same way the other Charas' symbols were shown.

"Sakura-chan," the Chara smiled, opening her eyes to reveal a warm, dream-hazed gold.

"You're here," Sakura whispered in joy, tears collecting in her eyes.

"I am very glad that you never lost faith in me, Sakura-chan," the Chara said, floating to her master and remaining at face-level with the awed pinkette. "My name is Mitsu, and I am very happy to be here with you and my sisters."

"Mitsu!" cheered Katsumi, floating forwards and tackling Mitsu in a hug. Mari and Setsuko also embraced their younger sister, though they were a little calmer about it than the oldest Chara.

"She's pretty," gasped Amu, staring at the newborn Chara in awe.

"So, what's your purpose – dechu?" asked Pepe bluntly, approaching the new Chara from the side.

"I am Saku-chan's desire to be warm and loving to all around her," she sighed happily, closing her eyes. The honey orbs then snapped open and she fixed her gaze on Musashi. "Would you be a dear and get me some juice?" she requested sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. Stuttering and stumbling over his reply, Musashi quickly went to do as requested.

"Very manipulative," muttered El, floating past with her notebook. Mitsu looked up, her kind-hearted gaze capturing the Angel Chara.

"Oh, you're so adorable!" she gushed, floating up to the blonde Chara and taking her hands. "I hope we can become the best of friends!" she continued, cheerfully and truthfully, "I'm sorry if you think me scheming, but I merely view all men as servants – the way they should be viewed, of course!" the Chara giggled.

"So kind," Ran laughed nervously.

"Yet so scary – desu," added Suu.

"So, she's loving and warm to girls, but..." Miki trailed off.

"She treats men like slaves – dechu," concluded Pepe, Kusukusu laughing in the background.

"This is unacceptable!" roared Kiseki, approaching the new Sun Chara. She turned to him, her eyes wide with tears in the corners, causing the King Chara to falter. "That is – err...I mean..."

"King, you have upset the maiden," scolded Musashi, returning with some juice for Mitsu. "You should apologise."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," he said, not really realising that he had just been fooled.

"It's okay," Mitsu hiccupped, wiping her eyes and looking over at the female Charas, winking. "It would be better if the girls and I could all have some cookies."

"Cookies?" repeated Kiseki, confused.

"Chocolate chip," the Sun Chara ordered, suddenly recovered, "and don't skimp on the chips – I'll notice," she warned.

"O-Okay," Kiseki nodded, somehow finding himself doing Mitsu's bidding.

"Ahh, the balance is restored," Mitsu sighed contently. "Come, ladies – let us all be friends!" she laughed happily, embracing each of the girls.

The humans watched, sweat-dropping at the display.

"You Chara is quite unique, Haruno-san," commented Tadase, laughing to himself as Kiseki became Mitsu's servant.

"I suppose she is," agreed Sakura, smiling. "A best friend to the girls, but a diva to the boys – just what kind of person do I want to become?" she asked herself, shaking her head.

"Someone who wants to make friends?" suggested Amu, laughing while the female Charas all received cookies from Kiseki. "The girls seem to like her, and the boys don't get long enough to think about disliking her before she gives them another task."

"She's very good with crocodile tears," Yaya mused, a sly grin covering her face as she placed her hand to her chin. "It makes me wonder..."

"Wonder what?" asked Rima, tilting her head. Yaya laughed, one finger pointing to Sakura.

"What Saku-chi would be like Chara-Changed with Mitsu-tan!" she announced proudly and Sakura hummed.

"Probably a diva," she decided with a nod.

"Who gets along with everyone," added Amu when she observed Mitsu patting Kiseki's head. "I think even the boys will grow to like her, at least a little – she seems like a very likable character."

"Depends on your point of view," added Rima, sipping her tea. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to the taller pinkette.

"Thank you for helping me, Amu," smiled Sakura before her face adopted a determined expression. "Now, I have to do something," she said vaguely, walking to the table and picking up her bag.

"What's that?" asked Amu curiously, hoping.

"I'm going to quit Easter," the smaller pinkette grinned happily. She waiting until Mitsu had made all the other Charas either her friends or servants before calling to them, "Girls, we're going! There's something that needs to be done!"

"When you're finish," Amu cut in before she could leave, "pack up your stuff and come to my place. We don't have much space, but you can share my room until something else gets sorted out. I can dig out the spare futon and out half my wardrobe and drawers."

"Thank you very much," bowed Sakura before she turned and left.

"Mitsu-chan looked really sweet," Yaya commented as the Guardians watched the small pinkette hurry out of the Royal Garden.

"Yeah, she did," smiled Amu.

"She also seemed friendly," added Rima.

"Yeah, she did," repeated Amu.

"And slightly underhanded," cut in Kairi and Amu laughed.

"I guess she did," she nodded, grinning. "I'm just glad Sakura got her Chara after all – she seemed really happy about it."

"Perhaps now she will rejoin the Guardians," commented Kairi, sweating nervously at the thought. If Sakura once more became the Yin Joker, would she rat him out to the others?

"Hopefully," agreed Tadase. "Where is she going now?"

"To quit, probably," mused Amu, shrugging. "Anyway, we should focus on these Teaser CDs now..."

{-}

"Your friends seem pleasant," commented Mitsu, her eyes half-lidded as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Sakura smiled – she and her Charas had quickly learnt that, while Mitsu was warm and caring, she was also a bit of a diva.

"They are," nodded Sakura. "I'm just glad they've forgiven me so easily," she sighed, relieved.

"Will you forgive Ikuto-san?" asked Setsuko, smoothly inserting the question into their discussion. Eyeing her blue Chara – wondering what suddenly had Setsuko so on-side with Ikuto and Yoru – Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied. "I'm still not quite sure what happened. It looked like he and Amu were pretty close, but I think I read the situation wrong."

"Probably," giggled Katsumi, rolling her eyes, "You seem to do that quite a lot."

"Hey, now," she denied slightly, though not quite rejecting the idea. After all, it was true – she often misinterpreted things and this lead to her losing friends and isolating herself. Sakura had enough of this a long time ago, but with Mitsu being born she felt even more push to make and keep her friends.

"Is this it?" asked Mitsu, looking up at the building with the large 'Easter' sign hanging above the doors.

"I wonder," snorted Mari, grinning at her younger sister as the human and her four Charas made their way into the building.

"I wish to speak with Director Hoshina," Sakura said when she reached the secretary's desk in the Easter building. Not replying, the woman behind the desk called the Director's office.

"He will see you, Haruno-san," she said with false cheerfulness, sending Sakura up to Kazuomi's office. The pinkette stood in the lift after pressing the button for the correct floor, waiting patiently for the lift to get there. Her Charas were floating to her left, chatting and getting to know each other – she supposed it was only natural, as a lot had happened before Mitsu was born.

"I want you guys to keep a low profile once we get there," she said to them quietly, gaining their attention.

"Why, Saku-chan?" asked Mari, crossing her arms. "Soon-to-be-ex-boss man already knows you have –"

"Three Charas," interrupted Setsuko, ever the voice of intellect and reason, and Sakura nodded.

"Do you really think he'll accept my resignation if my usefulness just went up by one Chara?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, and Mari considered this.

"Perhaps we could enslave him," hummed Mitsu, looking at her fingernails as Sakura and her sisters stared at her in concern.

"Your plan, though quite creative, is unfortunately improbable," stated Setsuko, blinking.

"You're not the cute baby sister I imagined," Katsumi shuddered.

"No one expected perfection, big sis," giggled Mitsu, flipping her hair. "It just happens."

"Whatever, kid," sniggered Mari, grinning at the newborn Chara, who huffed.

"I should have been the oldest," she grumbled.

"Quite now, girls," Sakura said in a hushed voice as the lift made a loud 'ding' sound and the doors opened. The girl stepped out and knocked on the large double doors before her, gathering her courage.

"Come in," sounded Kazuomi's voice from inside, and Sakura did just that. With a slight shove, the doors opened and she walked in, standing before his desk – her head high, meeting his gaze. "Haruno – what is it?"

"I am afraid that I am leaving your employment," Sakura told him firmly, though nervousness played behind her eyes. The man eyed her for a second before laughing loudly, standing and opening one of the draws in his desk.

"Leaving my employment?" he retorted mockingly, tilting his head.

"Yes," Sakura confirmed, though with less courage. Mitsu, seeing that her owner's resolve was weakening, looked to her sisters, who gave her a 'go for it' look in return.

"Chara-Change!" she announced, a bright golden sun appearing in Sakura's hair a second later. The pinkette's worried look melted into serenity and a calm smile appeared on her face.

"I hope this does not cause any trouble," she said softly, her voice warm and smooth as honey. "I simply am not finding the atmosphere at this company to be as inviting as I originally hoped."

"Oh, you have a new Chara?" he mused, ignoring her words. The sun disappeared when Mitsu saw it was a hopeless effort, and Sakura's calm smile transformed into a frown. Mari stepped up next.

"Chara-Change!" she hissed, a green swirl appearing where the sun once was in Sakura's loose hair.

"I'm quitting, old man," she growled, clenching her fists.

"You're foolish to think I would just let you leave," he smirked, showing what appeared to be a small tin whistle sitting in the palm of his hand. "That metal you procured on your first ever mission was quite useful in assuring your continued loyalty, Haruno-chan," he mocked, lifting the whistle and blowing on it sharply.

Sakura fell to the ground, clutching at her chest as the green swirl vanished and the ring on her right middle finger began to glow with dark energy. The energy swirled around her, making her hair whip in the gusts of wind and tears of pain sprang to her eyes. The pinkette heard gasps and looked up slowly, watching her Shugo Charas being forced into their Eggs, a white 'X' appearing on each of them as the colours on the Eggs dimmed.

"No!" she cried, clutching her chest harder, the tears now falling down her face rapidly. Katsumi's Egg cracked and opened, revealing what looked like a completely new Chara, but in reality was an X-version of her beloved heart Chara.

She now wore a black, single-strapped cheerleading uniform with red pleats and a silver sash around her waist. Her feet were covered by long silver boots with red heals, the colour matched by band holding her hair in a ponytail atop her head, her usual bangs falling around her blank face. A headband with her broken heart symbol attached circled her head, a stark white 'X' covering the heart. Her lips were painted red and there was no emotion on her face.

The other Charas remained in their X-Eggs and Sakura's eyes filled with hot tears, her gaze looking from Mari's Egg to Setsuko's and finally settling on Mitsu's. She had just met her youngest Chara, and the friendly, manipulative diva was already gone.

"How fascinating," commented Kazuomi; looking between the young girl and her newly born X-Chara in interest, he watched closely to see just how effective this whistle was. Katsumi floated to her mistress, pain flashing across her eyes as Sakura stood; her face was now also blank, like the Chara. The tears in her eyes fell, but she ignored them and no more followed.

"Sir?" a man called from outside the office as he knocked on the door, having heard the commotion.

"Everything's fine," dismissed Kazuomi, lifting the whistle again and blowing sharply, forcing Sakura's blank gaze to turn to him. "Puppet," he called, the young girl acknowledging without a moment's hesitation, "I command you to Chara-Nari with your X-Chara, right now," the man grinned, watching carefully as Sakura turned back to her Chara, obeying his orders.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock," Sakura muttered, her voice barely a breath above a whisper, as Katsumi disappeared into her Egg and sank into Sakura's chest.

A dark red light wrapped around the pinkette, covering her from head to toe and shielding her from view. The dark light flew away from her like an unfurling cloak, revealing a light grey top with one strap over her shoulder, matched with a pleated skirt of the same colour, though with a band of red around the waist and also at the bottom, which ended at her knees. On her feet was a pair of knee-high black boots with black heels, and her hair settled around her, loose and falling slightly in her face and over her eyes. On her head was Katsumi's usual broken heart, but suddenly a white 'X' formed over it. When she looked up, her expression was completely blank.

"X-Chara-Nari: Lonely Heartbreak," she breathed as her hair settled.

"Fascinating indeed," chuckled Kazuomi as he circled the girl, taking in the transformation. "It seems that the frequency of the whistle activates the dormant dark energy in the ring perfectly, allowing it to attach itself to your heart and force darkness to consume you. I never expected it to affect your Charas so quickly, though."

"Sir?" a woman's voice this time, that of Sanjo Yukari, sounded as she knocked on the door of his office. Smirking slightly, Kazuomi looked away from Sakura and towards his door.

"Come in, Sanjo," he called, the door opening at his allowance, "I wish for you to see what true success looks like," he mocked as she entered. Yukari frowned for a moment before her eyes fell on Sakura and she froze, seeing the dead-eyed look the girl held.

"Has she done a transformation?" the woman asked and Kazuomi laughed cruelly.

"Indeed," he nodded. "With her very own X-Chara," he continued, not noticing Yukari pale. "The dark energy in the ring worked perfectly, Sanjo – she was unable to detect it, thanks to it being dormant until use, and it turned all of her Charas into X-Chara, forcing her own joy to diminish into nothing."

"You mean...?" she gasped, looking away from the girl. Her boss' eyes were fixed onto Sakura, his newest discovery, and he nodded gleefully.

"She is now nothing more than a puppet for Easter; a shell of a once vibrant, albeit sarcastic, girl," he announced, the joy clear in his voice. "I say it is time for her to train – we cannot send her out without knowing the extent of her abilities, after all."

"Sir, don't you find this a little," Yukari paused, frowning, "inhumane? To turn a young girl into a husk like this, and use her against her friend..."

"Silence, Sanjo!" he snapped, scowling. "You had no problems with this plan a few days ago when I ordered you to have your brother give the ring to Haruno in the first place. Now, leave – see to it that your plan with Utau does not fail; I do not wish to reveal my newest puppet just yet."

"As you wish, sir," bowed Yukari, casting one more glance at Sakura before backing out of the office.

"Now, Puppet," he grinned, "we shall begin with a battle simulation."

"Yes, sir," replied Sakura, her voice empty.

{-}

Amu sat down heavily on her bed, sighing in relief. It had taken a while, but her room was now tidy, and she had actually managed to throw out some old things she no longer needed when she was clearing out space for Sakura. Her Charas, who had been busy setting up somewhere for Sakura's Charas to sleep, were also tired, while Suu was still floating around, dusting.

"I wonder how her boss took it," Miki mused, thinking of Sakura approaching a man cruel enough to steal Heart's Eggs and use them for evil. Amu sat up, worried, and gulped.

"I-I'm sure she's fine," she said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than her Chara.

{-}

When Ikuto arrived at Sakura's apartment – one hour after she should have finished school – he knew something was wrong.

She wasn't there.

The teen had observed – through months of breaking and entering in order to steal her food – that she was _always_ home half an hour after school finished, unless she had a Guardian meeting. Of course, since quitting the Guardians, she no longer had a reason to stay behind. It concerned him, but he brushed it off and continued to wait.

One hour passed, and then two, and by the time the third rolled around he had almost given up.

'_She's probably at that Soma brat's place,'_ he thought with contempt.

Just as Ikuto turned to leave – via the window, of course, the door opened and Sakura stumbled in.

{-}

The small pinkette sat in her grey cell, curled up in the corner with her X-Eggs around her. Soon after ending her transformation, X-Katsumi had retreated back into the shell, leaving Sakura alone. She was dragged down here and locked in, left with nothing more than a sink, a bed, and a small fold-out table. Her bag was tossed in next, which Sakura was relieved about, and she looked down at her hand.

It was then her phone rang.

"Hello?" whispered Sakura when she answered her phone, not checking the number.

"_Sakura_!" replied Amu's cheer-filled voice, the sound of it making Sakura flinch slightly. "_My Mama said it's fine for you to stay for a few days, and I've cleared some space in my room and set up a futon for you, so you can –_"

"Your kindness is wasted on me, Hinamori-san," the smaller pinkette interrupted, her voice deceptively void of emotion. "I am remaining in Easter's employment. Thank you for helping me to heal my Egg, but I am afraid you have been deceived – you served your purpose."

"_S-Sakura_," she stuttered, unsure. "_That can't be. You were truthful earlier, saying you would quit, but now..._"

"It was a ruse, and you fell for it," the pinkette laughed mockingly. "How foolish of you," she hummed.

"_No, I refuse to believe –!_"

"Hinamori-san," Sakura sighed, rubbing eyes, "I don't know what to tell you. You were tricked, so give up."

"_Tell me you're lying about this. Tell me you're kidding_," she demanded, her tone pleading, and Sakura laughed again.

"You were fooled," she recapped, "and you need to accept it. There's no other explanation I can think of."

"_Please_," Amu uttered and Sakura bit her lip, clenching her fists.

"Leave me alone from now on."

Sakura hung up the phone and stared at it for a while before throwing the plastic device across the room, watching in delight as it smashed against the wall. With pain-filled eyes, she clutched her hand to her chest and looked at the seemingly harmless ring on her finger.

Tears fell down her face.

"I'm sorry."

Furiously, the girl pulled at the ring, trying to remove it, only to hiss when the metal burned her palm.

"I wouldn't try that, Haruno-san," a voice sounded from the window of her cell, and Sakura looked up, spotting one of the scientists. "That ring has been specially made to burn the wearer with dark energy should an attempt be made to remove it."

"Let me out of here," she growled, her eyes narrowing.

"It seems that she only becomes a blank shell when one of her Charas is out of their Egg," commented another scientist, while the only woman of the trio made a note on her clipboard.

"The boss will be interested in this," she nodded, opening the cell door. "You're free to go, Haruno-san – we were only told to bring you down here until you returned to normal."

"The boss said you will give regular reports," the original man, obviously team leader, said in a warning tone. "And remember, tomorrow you have a job for Sanjo-san; don't be late!"

"And no more of this 'quitting business', boss said," added the other man. "He said it was amusing the first time, but would only serve to annoy him now."

"You three are _such_ lapdogs," Sakura groaned, standing and walking out of the cell, leaving the Easter building with her four Eggs tucked into her bag safely.

{-}

Sakura stumbled down the hallway and to the door of her apartment, looking at the '7K' sign in detestation. It was mocking her – she would never be able to escape, even with all the help in the world. Shaking her head and wiping tears from her eyes, Sakura opened the door and stepped in, her eyes instantly landing on an unwelcome guest.

Ikuto and Sakura just stared at each other from across the room as the front door closed behind the pinkette. His eyes were pleading, while her own were almost dead.

"What happened?" he asked, forgoing his own concerns when he saw the pain written across Sakura's face.

Ignoring him, Sakura walked around her apartment and locked all of the windows, as well as the door, and placed her X-Eggs in their holders – setting up a 'room' for Mitsu with the golden furniture she had purchased. Tears sprung to her eyes when she saw the white 'X' on each Egg, but she still placed them comfortably in a cushioned basket, all resting against each other, and curled up on her bed.

"How?" sounded Ikuto's voice from her bedroom door. Sakura looked up, finding him staring at her X-Eggs. Yoru floated over to them, resting his hand on the closest one – Mari's Egg – and giving them a horrified look.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Without another word, all issues between them dissolved. Sakura needed Ikuto, and he was more than happy comfort her. As the teen made his way over to her bed, sitting beside her, Yoru settled himself in his own Egg, between Mitsu and Setsuko. Sakura leaned her head on Ikuto's chest, feeling a little better when his arm wrapped around her.

The child then curled up against him and cried herself to sleep.


	37. Dark Influence

Chapter Thirty Seven

When Sakura woke up, she was still nestled into Ikuto's chest, basking in the warmth of his arms. Unlike the last time she had woken up in this situation, the girl felt no need to move away, and instead buried her head further into his shirt, trying to ignore the world around her and the horrible events it had forced on her. It was only when Ikuto began to stir that she loosened her hold around his torso.

"Good morning," said the teenager, his voice slightly rough and still thick with sleep. Ikuto looked down, finding Sakura peeking up at him from his chest, and he smiled a little. "Here I was, worried that we'd spend the whole night fighting."

"I'm glad you're here," muttered Sakura, hiding her pink cheeks from him by resting her head on his chest again. "I've missed having you around."

"Hmm, enough sentimental stuff," he chuckled, petting her hair. "We're no good at it."

"You're right," agreed the pinkette, shifting away from him and standing from her bed. She walked over to her Eggs, seeing a white 'X' still marked over each of them. Rustling behind her alerted Sakura to that fact that was Ikuto getting up from her bed and he walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"How?" he asked. The girl knew he was asking about her Eggs and she sighed, her eyes lowering as she lifted her hand.

"Easter," Sakura said simply, showing Ikuto the dark energy ring. He frowned, taking her hand in his and observing it with a glare. "I can't take it off," she told him sadly. "It burns when I try."

"I knew this would end badly," grumbled the teen, burying his nose in her soft pink hair and sighing. "How does it work?" he asked and Sakura lowered her hand, shrugging.

"Director Hoshina blows a tin whistle," she began, "and the dark energy activates and takes over. The first time he did it was yesterday, and it turned the girls into X-Eggs. Katsumi hatched and he made us Chara-Nari – it felt so painful, and hateful, and I was so scared." Her voice was wavering, no more than a whisper, and Ikuto tightened his grip on her.

"Skip school today," he demanded gently.

"Why?" the pinkette sniffed, looking up at his shadowed face. Ikuto met her eye and smiled.

"We're going to get some Dango," he told her. "You were cheered up last time we got some, so maybe it'll help."

"Like a date?" asked the girl, cautious, and Ikuto paused.

"...If you want," he replied. "It doesn't have to be."

"I'd like that," Sakura mumbled, pulling away from him and pushing him out of her room – putting Yoru's Egg in his hands, too – so she could get dressed.

"Our first date, hmm?" he mused, a smirk on his face, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"No," she told him, shaking her head. Ikuto expression turned confused and the pinkette winked. "Our third, remember?"

{-}

Kairi couldn't believe it.

Sakura was still a member of Easter, and it was entirely his fault.

His sister, Yukari, had returned home that night slightly tipsy – not unusual – and had begun yelling at him. Kairi wasn't sure why until she mentioned the ring she had told him to give to Sakura. At the time, Kairi only knew it was bad, but he didn't know what it would do. If he had known at the time that it would force her to become like a human X-Chara, he would have thrown the damn piece of jewellery in the river.

Amu had texted him, telling him the bad news that Sakura had 'chosen' to stay with Easter. His guilt was eating him alive, and was it not for Musashi's calming, rational words he would have come clean about being the cause for Sakura's extended employment.

Of course, they wouldn't doubt that now.

After receiving this text, he had to go and distribute more teaser CDs – this time by slipping them into people's lockers – but he had been caught by Amu and the rest of the Guardians. He panicked, and confessed to being a part of Easter. All of them looked shocked – now having lost _two_ friends to Easter – and Kairi had left.

He planned on speaking to Sakura at school the following day, but his nerves got the better of him and he never turned up.

Though he'd stayed home, Kairi had tried calling Sakura, but she didn't answer her phone. At first, he thought that perhaps she had gone to school and was in class, but when he tried calling during break and lunch, she still wouldn't pick up. It worried him that she was unreachable the day after she had been used as a host for the X-Energy produced by her very own Chara.

Kairi went back to reading, his guilt doubled.

{-}

At first, the date was awkward.

Despite previously having been so comfortable around each other, the idea of going on an actual, official date had the two ruffled. It also didn't help that neither had their Charas there to distract from the fact that they were currently, in fact, dating in the eyes of the people on the street. The occasional cooing from women on the street didn't help much, either. Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari, and Mitsu were absent for obvious reasons, but Yoru had wanted to stay behind just in case something happened to the girls or their Eggs while Sakura and Ikuto were out.

"So, Dango?" coughed Ikuto, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah," nodded Sakura quickly, "that sounds nice."

The silence continued, dragging on to the point where it would have been awkward to _break_ it. They finally reached the Dango shop and took the same booth they sat at the time before, and it was as if this choice of seating lifted all of their unease. Sakura looked up at Ikuto, a smile playing about her lips, and he smirked back; within thirty seconds, they were both laughing loud enough to gain the attention of other patrons.

"It shouldn't be this hard," Ikuto chuckled. "We've gone out plenty of times before now – why can't we think of anything to say?"

"I don't know," the pinkette shrugged in response. "Maybe because this time we _both_ know it's a date," she suggested with a small smile. Ikuto's expression softened slightly and he leaned closer.

"Then I'll have to try especially hard to make sure you don't forget," he whispered, leaving a red-faced girl behind at the booth as he went to order their Dango.

After ordering and eating their Dango, their conversation getting easier as time went on, the two left the Dango shop and stood outside for a moment, wondering where to go next. After all, neither wanted to say goodbye just yet, and both were desperate to make this date last as long as possible before it had to end.

"Do you want to go shopping or something?" asked Ikuto, spotting a market down the street. Sakura saw it too and smiled.

"Sure," she agreed. "We might find something nice," she added as they both started walking towards the market.

They shopped for a while, this time exchanging no words past 'look at this' and 'over here'. Yet, still, they became more and more comfortable each other's company and before long it was as though they had never gone through that period of silence. Sakura was smiling and laughing with ease, while Ikuto was once more back to his teasing self.

"Movie, movie!" cheered Sakura as they made their way to the cinema.

"Two for the afternoon show," said Ikuto, pointing out their chosen film to the woman at the ticket booth. She smiled, putting on a flirty face as she printed the requested tickets, and Sakura's eyes narrowed at her.

"You go get some popcorn, and I'll wait for the tickets," Sakura said to Ikuto, pushing him towards the man at the popcorn stand.

"Umm, okay," said the confused teen, doing as he was told. Sakura glared at the ticket girl as she snorted, snatching the money Sakura handed her and practically throwing the tickets across the desk.

"Did you get salted or buttered?" asked Sakura as she caught up with Ikuto, finding him standing with a large bucket of popcorn, also holding a few packets of sweets, and two fizzy drinks.

"Salted," he replied, his tone still hinting at confusion. "Why did you push me away so quickly?"

"That girl was flirting with you," Sakura huffed, though she was pouting and her face was red as she pretty much admitted her jealous. "We're on a date – she shouldn't be doing that," she added quietly. Smiling softly at her, Ikuto leant down and kissed the top of her head, gaining a shocked look from Sakura as he stood upright.

"Alright," he gestured, "we're in screen four."

They found their seats and sat through the film – a kid's film, due to Sakura's age – and it was over before they knew it. There was still popcorn in the bucket when they left the cinema, so Ikuto decided to bring it. Without even needed to discuss what to do next, both Sakura and Ikuto headed towards the park. In their minds, it was the perfect way to end their date – a quiet walk through the park.

"What did you think of the movie?" asked Sakura, yawning a little.

"It was okay, I guess," shrugged Ikuto, him still holding their shared tub of popcorn. The pinkette rolled her eyes, taking some of the snack and eating it before replying.

"You're the one who picked it," she excused and he hummed, looking up at the lowering sun.

"C'mon," he motioned, throwing away the remaining popcorn, "let's go through this way," the teen said, pointing her towards the right-hand side of a split in the path.

"This has to be the most stereotypical date I've ever been on," Sakura laughed, resting her head on his shoulder while taking his arm. "It's nice."

"Hmm," agreed Ikuto, leading them to a wooden bench by the trees.

In the end, Sakura and Ikuto spent the whole day together, eating Dango, shopping, going to see a movie, and then just walking through the park. Neither breeched the topic of Easter, and so neither knew that they would _both_ be involved in Easter's latest scheme later that evening. Instead, the two had subtly kept their eyes on the time so they knew when to end the pleasantly surprising outing.

"I noticed that you have four X-Eggs," said Ikuto. This thought had been playing around his mind all day, and he finally worked up the words to say it.

"Oh, right," Sakura mumbled, "That's Mitsu. Her Egg broke a while back, and Amu and I figured out how to fix it yesterday. I wish you could've met her; she was a real diva," she smiled.

"So, you lost her the same day you got her?" realised Ikuto, his fists clenched tightly. He hated Easter more and more for what they were doing to the pinkette beside him.

"I guess," she shrugged. "It's not that bad, though. I know I'll get her back eventually, and Katsumi, Setsuko, and Mari, too."

They sat there, on the park bench, in silence following this statement. Sakura began kicking the dirt at her feet while Ikuto was looking up at the quickly darkening sky. Neither wanted to interrupt this comfortable moment of quiet, wishing to prolong it as much as they could, but both knew that this couldn't last much longer. This thought in her mind, Sakura cleared her throat.

"So," Sakura began awkwardly, knowing she would have to end the date. She sat on the bench, looking up at Ikuto as he checked the time on his watch.

"I think it's getting pretty late," Ikuto picked up the excuse. "I've got to be somewhere, and you're probably tired."

"Oh, yeah," nodded Sakura, lying as she faked a yawn, "Very tired. I can get home by myself, since you have to be somewhere."

"Are you sure?" asked the teen, though they were already moving to walk in opposite directions.

"It is fine," Sakura smiled, waving. "Bye, Ikuto."

"We should do this again some time," he smirked.

Sakura was walking quickly enough so that she wouldn't be late, but not so much that Ikuto might get suspicious. She was listening to his footsteps and panicked slightly when she heard them stop. He turned and walked after her, moving quickly to catch up. Ikuto took a hold of her wrist and spun her around to face him.

"What's –" Sakura was cut off by Ikuto pulled her to him, holding her in a tight embrace as though he were afraid to let her go. Sakura, unsure of how to respond, merely stood still in his hold. After a few moments, Ikuto moved back, though he kept a light hold on her shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, though for what Sakura wasn't sure. She showed this through a tilt of her head and an unintelligent 'huh' that made the teenager laugh. "You're always the one who forgives and accepts me, no matter what I've said or done – or haven't done."

"What're friends for?" she attempted somewhat cautiously. Ikuto, in that moment, suddenly froze; his eyes went hard.

"Yeah, friends," he repeated, backing away. Before Sakura could ponder what she had said wrong, he was already walking away. Sighing and shaking her head, Sakura turned and walked away, too.

This time, neither turned back.

As soon as they could no longer hear the other's footsteps, their joyful expressions dropped.

They had a job to do.

{-}

When Sakura made it home, she was in a hurry to change into something more 'work-appropriate' and make it to the destination on time. She by-passed her Eggs, knowing if she spent too long dwelling on them that she would only make herself sick with stress again. She didn't know if she could face another round of Sasuke-Naruto-Itachi-nurturing, with a side-order of tension between Ikuto and Kukai – she was still unsure as to why these two suddenly hated each other.

Thinking again about Ikuto's kiss, Sakura smiled and sighed happily, but had to push it from her mind as she walked to the door, grabbing her coat and leaving to go to work.

She never noticed the blinking '01' on her answering machine.

{-}

Kukai sighed as he left a message on Sakura's answering machine. Amu had texted him, telling him that Sakura was a part of Easter and, despite promising to quit, she had chosen to remain a member of the organisation. He didn't believe that she had does this by _choice_ and was seriously worried for her well-being. After her confusing visit last time, he wasn't prepared to take any chances and just let her carry on this destructive path.

"Kukai," called his older brother from his door, knocking one before letting himself in. The youngest of the brothers looked up at the oldest, frowning as he put the phone on his desk.

"I didn't say 'come in', Kaidou-nii," he muttered. Kaidou ignored this with a slight shrug, remaining leant against the doorframe.

"That's the third time you've called Sakura," he noticed. Kukai's eyes widened and he stared at his brother, frowning again.

"How did you know I was calling Sakura?" he asked, crossing his arms. Kaidou pushed off from the doorframe and crossed his baby brother's room, sitting on the bed beside him.

"I heard the message," he told him. "I know you're worried about Sakura, for whatever reason, but you need to relax a little."

"What's that supposed to mean?" grumbled Kukai, staring at the wall in front of him.

"The last time she was upset, she came here with her problems," pointed out Kaidou, "and you helped her. So, chances are, she'll come here again when times get tough."

"How did I help her?" he asked, recalling that Sakura hadn't even really told him the real reason for her visit.

"All I know is, she came in upset, and by the time dinner started, she was cheered up," smiled Kaidou, ruffling his brother's already messy hair. "She'll come here, don't worry so much."

"I'm not so sure," muttered Kukai, thinking about Ikuto.

"Well, be sure about this," Kaidou announced suddenly, standing from the bed and pointing at his brother. "I'm going to kick your butt at penalty shots, okay, baby brother? Care to prove me wrong?"

"You're on," Kukai grinned, standing and following his brother out to the garden.

{-}

Sakura's eyes were half-lidded as she listened to Utau's singing. X-Katsumi floated beside her, her expression equally blank. Since entering the building, all she had been able to process was the sound of the sharp whistle and the feeling of darkness clutching her heart. Yukari had control of the ring that night, and she made Sakura completely aware of this the second she blew the whistle and took away the light from the pinkette's eyes.

On stage, playing the violin to accompany Utau's poisonous song, Ikuto was oblivious to her presence. He was only hoping to finish the concert and get back to Sakura's apartment before she went to bed, so they could stay up, watch a movie, and everything would really return to the way it was. His eyes were closed, and when he opened them it was only to glance at the surprisingly vast sea of fans.

Kairi was stood backstage with his sister, his guilt-ridden eyes glued to Sakura's form. All he could see was the dead look in her eyes – even Musashi was overwhelmed by the lack of liveliness in Katsumi now that her Broken Heart had an 'X' over it. He wished he had never given her the ring, and that he had never gotten her involved with his Easter problems in the first place. Though, looking at her, he knew that wishing was pointless now.

"Wait!" they heard what sounded like Amu yelling. "I will not allow you to take people's Eggs anymore!" she declared. "The angel of love, Amulet Angel, takes the stage!" she finished with a wink, a victory sign by her eye.

As Amu freaked out, Yukari frowned, blowing the whistle sharply. Sakura flinched at the sound and mentally screamed as another one of her Eggs appeared before her, this time Setsuko's. The once delicate and feminine Chara was reborn, this time with straight black hair and a fringe that went right across her forehead, touching her eyelashes.

She was now clad in a black dress with short puffed sleeves, with light grey lining at the edges of the sleeves and a puffed skirt. The dress had an opened-chest in the front, showing her blue under-dress with white satin around the collar, and a lacy blue skirt that peeked out under the skirt of the black over-dress. Around her waist was a light grey sash, matching in colour with the hemming on her dress and her knee-high socks, over which were a pair of light blue Mary-Jane's. A headband with her blue rose symbol attached circled her head, a stark white 'X' covering the heart. Just like Katsumi, there was no emotion on her face.

"Transform with your Shugo Chara," ordered Yukari. Wincing, Sakura appeared on stage.

"Sakura," gasped Ikuto, watching the girl step out. He made to approach her, but the blank expression on her face stopped him. Instead, he hid himself from her and the Guardians, peeking around a piece of stage equipment so he could see them, but they couldn't see him.

"S-Sakura," stuttered Amu, who was still transformed with El, as Yaya, Tadase and Rima made their way towards them. "What's wrong? What happened?" she asked desperately, but the smaller pinkette ignored her.

"Setsuko," she said simply, her rose X-Chara floating beside her. "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock," the girl continued in the same monotone. Setsuko's Egg closed around her and floated into the pinkette's chest.

A dark blue light wrapped around the pinkette, covering her from head to toe and shielding her from view. The dark light flew away from her like an unfurling cloak, revealing a light blue dress with darker blue buttons fastening it at the front, no straps, and blue frills hemming the top and the bottom, which ended just above her knees, with white ruffles underneath. Over this was a light grey dress, hemmed with dark blue, that was attached to the blue dress around the waist but was completely open at the front – the sleeves were puffed at her shoulder, a dark blue ribbon tied under them and the rest of the sleeve fell over her fingertips, a slit to her elbow on the inside revealing dark grey, shredded gloved that covered her arms.

On her feet was a pair of black Mary Jane's, and covering her legs were torn black tights that matched her gloves. A flash of dark light circled her neck, flying away to reveal a silver choker lines with blue lace, a silver chain falling from the front holding a small blue rose pendant with a silver 'X' behind it. Her hair settled around her, loose and falling elegantly around her face. On her head was Setsuko's usual blue rose, but suddenly a white 'X' formed over it. Her body grew, maturing, until Sakura was suddenly a teenager – Setsuko's mature nature taking literal effect.

"X-Chara-Nari: Lonely Petal," she breathed as her hair settled.

"S-Sakura?" repeated the blue-haired teen, now shocked at the older appearance of the pinkette.

"You're one step too late, Amu," lectured Utau, Dia floating beside her. Seeing both her old friend and her own Chara in 'X' form had almost reduced Amu to tears.

"Dia," she gasped, watching as her Gold Chara and Utau performed a Chara Nari before her eyes.

"Chara Nari: Dark Jewel," said Utau, now transformed.

"So, Black Diamond really is Utau," murmured Amu, her eyes glued to Dark Jewel. She then shifted her gaze to Lonely Petal and her expression softened further. "Sakura's completely under their control; she can't do anything."

"You're wrong," the pinkette lied softly, looking Amu in the eye. The taller pinkette flinched at the blank coldness in her gaze. "I have chosen this; this way, I am more powerful, and I may have a better chance at finding the Embryo. You Guardians are merely children, while I am far more mature, and I have simply outgrown you all."

"That's not true!" wailed Yaya, wishing for this situation to go a different way.

"It is," Sakura breathed, lowering her head.

"You're always getting in my way," Utau cut in, "and I believe it must be the same for Sakura," she added, enjoying the way Amu flinched at the familiarity with which she addressed the green-eyed girl.

"Why do you have to steal Eggs?" asked Amu, regaining her confidence. "Is that really who you want to be?"

"What do you know?" Utau scoffed.

"Is the way you are now really the person you want to be?" she persisted, looking at both girls on stage, "Either of you?" she asked. Utau's eyes widened at the question, her resolve faltering, but there was no change in Sakura's blankness. Suddenly, the lights went out and Amu and Utau looked around, surprised.

"What?" Amu gasped.

"Let's go, Utau," whispered Ikuto, taking his sister's arm. Sakura looked around at the sound of his voice and their eyes met – his widened, seeing the first flash of emotion Sakura had shown that evening. Her eyes were filled with tears, pleading with him to help her. Ashamed, he looked away, pulling Utau away from the stage.

"Hey, wait!" yelled Amu, moving to go after them, but she was stopped. Tadase cried her name when Kairi suddenly appeared, Chara-Changed with Musashi and wielding a wooden sword. He swiped at her, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "Chairman!" she cried in shock.

"Sanjo-kun," gasped Tadase as shock registered on the faces of all Guardians present. Sakura, once again, remained blank.

"I will be your opponent from here on, Joker," he told her firmly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I'm counting on you, Kairi," hummed Yukari from backstage, tucking the whistle into her pocket. "Haruno, attack," she ordered, turning around and leaving.

"Haa!" cried Kairi as he dove forwards, aiming his sword at Amu. She kept dodging as he kept attacking, crying for him to wait and stop. "Forgive me, but I must cut you down!" he yelled. As he made a downwards swipe, Amu blocked with a duel Heart Rod, held in an X in front of her – it seemed she had done a quick change from Amulet Angel to Amulet Heart.

"Come to me," whispered Sakura, her voice carrying over the sounds of Amu speaking to Kairi. As he knocked away her Heart Rods, rose petals spread across the room, floating around the X-Eggs as they gathered up into one large mass of dark energy and blue petals. "Destroy," she ordered, controlling the mass of Eggs and petals with her hand.

They dove between Amu and Kairi, pushing both back as the Eggs headed straight for Sakura. The mass of dark energy hit her and formed around her, lifting Lonely Petal off the ground and carrying her with it, out of the door and into the alleyway outside. Sakura felt the pain in her heart increase a thousand fold as she was consumed by the dark energy, feeling it both on the inside and the outside.

Her eyes snapped open and she found herself floating ten foot in the air, in the head of a long worm of dark energy. She looked down on the Guardians as they reappeared out of the doorway, her eyes focusing in on Amulet Heart. Sometime stirred within her, but it was nothing good. Hatred, jealousy and rage bubbled to the surface and her face contorted in a scowl as she pushed her arms forwards, controlling the mass of energy as it dove and attacked the Guardians, separating them.

'_Amu is loved,'_ a voice inside her mocked, _'but you aren't. Amu has friends, but you don't. Everything works out great for Amu. Is __**she**__ a member of Easter? Is __**she**__ a failure? Would __**she**__ make her father __**sick**__ if he could see her right now?'_ it sneered at her, causing Sakura's eyes to dim with worthlessness.

"Hinamori Amu," she hissed, her eyes locking on to the pinkette. "I will _destroy_ you," she snarled. Amu gulped, seeing malicious intent in Sakura's eye, and she was frozen to the spot in fear. She darted towards Amu, fully intent on eradicating her, when juggling pins flew through the dark energy, separating it and forcing Sakura out of the mass. Once out, she could breathe.

"Haruno!" cried Amu, still worried even after everything Sakura had said and done. Without in influence of the added dark energy, Sakura's mind was cleared of hate and rage, though the jealousy remained. Even though the words spoken to her were fuelled with anger, they held some truth.

'_What would my Papa say,'_ she though sadly, _'if he saw what I've become?'_


	38. The End

**A/N: The sequel is now up for anyone who was unaware! It is titled Lonely Shugo II and is a continuation of this storyline!**

Chapter Thirty Eight

The battle went as expected, mostly.

Yaya actually managed a Chara Nari, though her signature attack put _herself_ to sleep as well as the X-Eggs.

Tadase used his Holy Crown as his only attack, proving that sometimes it really _is_ better to leave the fighting to the ladies.

Amu managed to beat Kairi with a well-worded lecture while simultaneously fending off X-Eggs. He was then able to open his heart and Chara Nari, just like Yaya.

Kairi turned back to the 'side of good' and saved everyone from becoming X-Scrambled-Eggs.

Amulet Clover purified the Eggs, and everyone was happy.

Everyone, that is, except Sakura.

As soon as the battle was over, she disappeared. Katsumi and Setsuko were at her sides, still X-Charas and not returning to their Eggs, as she made her way home. The further she got from the alley, the freer she became of the darkness in her heart. By the time she got home, she was feeling so light that Katsumi and Setsuko were forced to return to their Eggs, for they could not hatch without the darkness clouding her joy.

"Sakura," Ikuto called, standing from her sofa. He had been waiting for her, eager to know what was happening. She didn't look at him, choosing instead to walk past and head into her room, closing the door behind her.

Sakura sat on her bed, her face completely expressionless, as she looked at her X-Eggs. All four were in the basket again, but this time both Katsumi and Setsuko's Eggs had cracks in them to show they had hatched. Ikuto entered her room, sitting beside her on her bed and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him.

"Utau and I used to be close with Tadase, you know," he told her softly as she leant against him. "He would call me his 'big brother' and we would play together, along with Utau. That was back before everything went wrong, before Utau went into middle school and I...well, that's a story for another time, I think," he mused. "She would only sing songs from her heart – before Easter got a hold of her and twisted her talents into something darker."

"I think I can tell," Sakura told him, her eyes downcast. "Somewhere in Utau, there's still someone who wants to sing from her heart, and not cause pain with her songs. I can't do anything though," she told him sadly.

"Why not?" asked Ikuto, not accusing her but merely curious.

"You saw me yesterday, when I transformed with Setsuko," she reminded him, tears coming to her eyes. "Every time Utau and I are around each other, Yukari blows that whistle and I lose a part of myself."

"Don't worry," he soothed, drawing her even closer. "You said so yourself – everything will work out."

{-}

Hoshina Utau was stood by the window, looking out at the darkened streets below with a scowl on her face. Sanjo Yukari was stood near the head of the table, her glasses brightened by the light reflecting from the television screen she was watching. Director Hoshina Kazuomi sat at the head of the table, his hands folded in front of his face as he blankly watched Utau's _Black Diamond_ music video. Sakura was stood by the door, her eyes blank with X-Katsumi and X-Setsuko stood on either side of her. She had been called in and, as had become the routine, as soon as she entered the office, the whistle was blown.

"What do you think, Director?" asked Yukari when the video ended. "This is the promotional video for Hoshina Utau's Pan-American debut. The music that was recorded while she was Character Changed with Dia holds miraculous power."

"So," he spoke lowly, "you are going to take Utau to Los Angeles tomorrow?"

"Yes," nodded Yukari. "Using a special method at the LA studio, we'll absorb a large number of X-Eggs into this master CD," she continued, taking out one of the Black Diamond CDs and showing it to the Director. "If we do that, then we will no longer need to press X-Eggs one-by-one, like the prototype teaser CDs."

"What are you implying?" he asked, now slightly interested as he glanced at Yukari.

"From now on," smirked Yukari, "just by hearing Utau's song, whether through the television, the internet, or cell phones, a Hearts Egg can be extracted. Utau's song will spread through the world like a virus, and we will be able to steal an infinite number of Eggs. Discovering the Embryo will just be a matter of time."

"Very well," allowed the Director. "What was it you needed from me?"

"Transportation," replied Yukari, "and your little puppet over there," she continued, casting a glance at Sakura. The pinkette didn't show any signs of acknowledgement, remaining just as blank as the Charas by her sides.

"Very well," he agreed with a nod. This time, Sakura frowned.

"You can't make me go," she muttered. Scowling, Kazuomi blew sharply on the whistle and she flinched, tears springing to her eyes.

"I can assure you, you will," he said threateningly.

"Or what?" hissed Sakura, fighting his control and stopping her tears from falling.

"Well, you want to keep Ikuto safe, don't you?" he said, his tone haughty and he knew he had her. Sakura froze, frowning.

"...Yes," she muttered, knowing now that she really had no choice. Kazuomi blew the whistle again and her face went blank, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Then do as you're told," he scoffed, pocketing the whistle, "Easter's Puppet."

Once Yukari had been given permission to take Sakura, and had been given the tin whistle, she and Utau left the office. Sakura was grabbed by the guards outside and dragged down to the same cell she had been contained in the previous time she had been in the Easter building. It was there she was made to wait until Yukari returned sometime in the evening, blowing the whistle again and ordering Sakura to follow her.

Without a word, Sakura obeyed.

{-}

"It's finally time to spread your wings across the world, Utau," said Yukari, standing with the singer in front of the helicopter. "We'll transfer to the airport in this helicopter, and then fly to LA," she turned, holding the master CD in her hands, "We'll then complete this master CD, and do a major Pan-American debut."

"Humph!" pouted Il, crossing her arms and turning away from Yukari. Dai, as expected, said nothing, and neither did Utau. Frustrated by her lack of response, Yukari took the blonde singer by the shoulders and shook her slightly.

"The time for you to become the top singing sensation of the world has come, Utau!" she cried, aiming for some enthusiasm on the teen's part.

"But," Utau began sadly, "it's only because of the power of the X-Eggs. It's not my actual talent," she reminded both Yukari and herself.

"Good grief," sighed Yukari, releasing her, "not that again," she sighed. Putting a frown on her face, she placed her hands on her hips. "It doesn't matter what methods you use – a win is a win," she told the singer. "If you want to be on top, you need to be willing to win by beating down everyone else. You have that power, which is why I picked you. Get it together!"

"You picked her," Sakura spoke plainly, "because she wouldn't dare cross you, since she's working for Easter to help her brother."

"Quiet, you!" hissed Yukari, scowling at Sakura, while Utau looked at the small pinkette in awe. "Utau, we're about to take off," she told the singer, snapping her out of her surprise. "Get rid of those doubts of yours."

Utau spaced out for a moment, deep in thought as she looked from the ground, up to the sky. Sakura ignored Kairi's sister as she scolded the pinkette for speaking out of turn, and winced when Yukari resorted to using the whistle to subdue her. The self-control she was slowly regaining was gone in an instant, leaving only blank darkness swirling around Sakura's mind.

"Utau, we're leaving," said Yukari curtly, pocketing the whistle.

"Wait!" cried Amu from their right, a floodlight shining behind her as she stood on some sort of mini-stage, transformed with El. "The evil shadow that lies in the darkness – I cannot overlook it!" she proclaimed, the light dimming and allowing the people by the helicopter to see Amulet Angel's 'signature pose'.

"Amu," Utau realised.

"It's El!" cheered Il, surprisingly happy to see her sister. Yukari merely scoffed as she placed her hand on her hip.

"Hmm," she mused smugly, "coming alone was –"

"We are here as well!" yelled Kiseki, drawing attention to the Guardians standing a little to the side of Amu. "Go, all of you!" he ordered.

"Boku no Kokoro," began Tadase.

"Watashi no Kokoro," continued Rima.

"Ore no Kokoro," said Kairi.

"Yaya no Kokoro," Yaya finished.

"Unlock!" they all called, absorbing their Chara's into their hearts and transforming quickly.

"Chara Nari: Platinum Royal!" Tadase and Kiseki called.

"Chara Nari: Clown Drop!" Rima and Kusukusu carried on.

"Chara Nari: Samurai Soul!" Kairi and Musashi said.

"Chara Nari: Dear Baby!" Yaya and Pepe cried.

They all landed in a group, with Amu in the centre, facing Utau, Sakura and Yukari. For a moment, the three wondered where the lighting behind them was coming from, but their brushed this thought aside a moment later and focused on the battle at hand. Kairi was the first to step forwards, seeing the look his sister was shooting at him.

"Nee-san," he addressed, "I can no longer support what you are planning!"

"So it would seem, Kairi," she replied, seemingly at ease with his decision.

"The debt I owe you will not change so long as I live," he continued, speaking of things they both knew, "and I am grateful for everything you have done for me over the years. However, that's all the more reason for me to want you to understand; understand why you are wrong!" he yelled hopefully, causing both Yaya and Amu to swoon at his coolness.

"You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?" his sister mused. "Well, that's just like you."

"Amu," Utau muttered again, still struck by the fact that the taller pinkette had come to stop her. Amu, noticing the look, stepped forwards.

"Utau, we came to talk," she claimed firmly. This shocked Utau out of her trance and the blonde glared.

"I don't have anything to –!"

"You can still go back!" interrupted Amu. "You can go back to the time when you really loved to sing. The real Utau's –"

"Oh, what do _you_ know?" snapped Utau furiously, interrupting Amu this time. Amu took a step back, surprised by the ferocity that Utau had put into her words. "How could someone who does everything halfway, like you, possibly understand my suffering and sadness? Do you think you can change my life my _talking_ to me? Are you really that fully of yourself? Do you have that much confidence? Well, do you, Hinamori Amu?"

"I..." Amu trailed off, unsure how to answer, and X-Dia floated past Utau, over to her original owner. "Dia," Amu gasped.

Dia stared at her intensely, as if speaking to Amu through her mind. Whatever Dia was telling her caused Amu to visibly dim, her shoulders sagging and her head lowering as the lighting behind the Guardians went off.

"You're right, I don't know," she admitted. "That's probably why I have so many Shugo Charas."

There was another pause as Dia apparently continued.

"That's..." Amu trailed off again, once more showing how unsure she was in herself.

"That's enough, Dia!" cried Utau angrily. "Amu and I have no choice but to fight and finish this."

"I won't fight you!" replied Amu firmly. "Because I like you, Utau!" she declared, once more shocking the singer. Utau snapped out of her surprise again, still angry.

"What are you doing, Dia?" she demanded, "Come back here!" she yelled. Dia merely closed her eyes, not moving, and Utau grit her teeth. "Fine, that's enough. Il!" she called, turning to her Devil Chara. "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!"

"You too, Sakura," hummed Yukari, pulling out her whistle and blowing on it sharply. Sakura flinched at the sound, but she had no choice but to obey.

"No, Saku-chi!" cried Yaya as Sakura stepped forwards.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock," Sakura muttered, her voice barely a breath above a whisper, as Katsumi disappeared into her Egg and sank into Sakura's chest.

A dark red light wrapped around the pinkette, covering her from head to toe and shielding her from view. The dark light flew away from her like an unfurling cloak, revealing a light grey top with one strap over her shoulder, matched with a pleated skirt of the same colour, though with a band of red around the waist and also at the bottom, which ended at her knees. On her feet was a pair of knee-high black boots with black heels, and her hair settled around her, loose and falling slightly in her face and over her eyes. On her head was Katsumi's usual broken heart, but suddenly a white 'X' formed over it. When she looked up, her expression was completely blank.

"X-Chara-Nari: Lonely Heartbreak," she breathed as her hair settled.

"Chara Nari: Lunatic Charm!" Utau and Il cried at the same time.

"Please finish this quickly," said Yukari calmly as she headed to the helicopter, taking the time to mocking pat Sakura on the head.

"Finally," Utau said, her eyes wild with anger, "the time for out final battle has come," she muttered. "Nightmare Lorelei!" she called, blasting the red, bat-shaped energy at the Guardians. "Don't underestimate me, Guardians!" said Utau mocking as all but Amu were sent flying back due to the sheer power of the attack. "Lilin Trident!" she yelled, summoning a weapon and flying towards Amu.

"Amu-chi!" cried Yaya in worry.

"El, guard!" ordered Miki.

"Leave it to me!" assured El, two white flags appearing in Amu's hands, "White Flag Double Plan!" she called.

"El!" called Amu, not seeing how the flags of surrender could help her. She crossed them in front of her a split second before Utau's trident could get to her, blocking the weapon in the same way her double heart rod would.

"We'll back you up," assured Tadase, stepping forwards with Rima, Yaya and Kairi around him.

"Wait – nya!" the easily recognised voice of Yoru called, gaining their attention and causing them to look up at the control tower, upon which Ikuto and Yoru stood. "The main character should always appear last – nya!"

"Ore no Kokoro: Unlock!" he said, using the power of the Dumpty Key to transform. He stood, absorbing Yoru's Chara Egg into his heart and transforming with ease.

"Chara Nari: Black Lynx!" Ikuto and Yoru announced. He landed on the ground in a crouch beside Sakura, smirking.

"Let's go," he said to her. She nodded and they both sprung at the Guardians, Ikuto using his metal claws to swipe at them while Sakura summoned her weapon.

"Heart O-No!" she called, a two metre pole axe appearing in her hands. The pole was red with a silver axe, a broken heart symbol at the top of the weapon. Using this, Sakura swung at Kairi while Ikuto began focusing his attacks on Tadase.

"Haruno, please stop!" he pleaded, using his dual katana to block the attack and push her axe away from him. Seeing that Tadase was in trouble, Kairi dodged around Sakura's weapon to aid him. Unfazed, Sakura merely zeroed in on a new opponent – Yaya.

"No, no, no, no, no!" screamed Yaya, madly running away from every swing of the axe.

"Juggling Party!" announced Rima, sending some of her juggling pins towards Sakura and the rest at Ikuto. She successfully separated them from their respective opponents, but while Ikuto merely sliced though her pins, Sakura used the broader side of the axe to hit them all back towards her. Dodging, Rima frowned at how easily her attack was brushed aside.

"Okay, my turn!" proclaimed Yaya. "Time for my special attack: Go, Go, Little Duckies!" she ordered, sending an army of rubber ducks towards Sakura and Ikuto, who were now stood together, with the small pinkette standing somewhat behind him.

"Hm," Ikuto smirked darkly, successfully scaring both the ducks and Yaya and causing the yellow rubber animals to hide behind their creator in fear.

"Let's go, King!" said Kairi as both he and Tadase charged at Sakura and Ikuto, fully intent on defeating them.

"Guys," Amu whimpered, not liking to watch her Guardians friends fighting against her sort-of-friend Ikuto and her would-be-close-friend Sakura. Utau drew her attention back to the battle at hand, but both were frozen when Il and El began a conversation from inside the transformed girls.

Suddenly, Utau's Charas ended their transformation with Utau and Amu and floated towards each other, El crying about how happy she was that her sister understood while Il took this chance to kick El in the head. She stopped short, however, and did not harm her sister, instead commenting on how she was back to herself before floating over to Amu.

"Hey, Amu, let's do this thing," she grinned, causing the taller pinkette to step back in confusion.

"What thing?" Amu asked.

"The 'My Heart: Unlock' thing," she said, causing light to begin shining around them as she went back into her Egg, getting absorbed into Amu's heart.

"Chara Nari: Amulet Devil!" Il and a very confused Amu yelled as a guitar appeared in Amu's hands.

"Hey, don't just do that!" cried Amu, slightly ticked off, getting only laughter from the Devil Chara.

"Now both Il and El have left Utau," commented Rima, everyone having stopped fighting to observe the blonde and the pinkette.

"Yes, you're right," Utau said, her fringe shadowing her eyes, "but that's fine. I don't need them. I still have Dia!" she yelled, looking up as she transformed with the aforementioned Chara. Sakura's eyes narrowed at this, her heart beginning to return to normal as the effects of the whistle were wearing off.

"Chara Nari: Dark Jewel," said both Utau and Dia.

"Shining Black!" cried Utau, shooting small black jewels out of her hand, towards Amu.

"Devil's Tune!" followed up Amu, strumming a chord on the guitar. The attacks met in the middle viciously, each fighting to beat the other, but it was Utau who seemed to be losing.

"Utau is being pushed back," Ikuto muttered in concern.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sakura whispered, sensing a build up of dark energy in the singer.

"Glitter Partial!" yelled Utau, blasting an unbelievably powerful attack that even forced Amu out of her transformation. The Guardians cried out in worry, but Ikuto remained silent and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"She's strong," mumbled Amu to herself.

"That's right," said Utau victoriously, standing above the defeated pinkette with sparkling light still surrounding her from her attack. "I _am_ strong – because I've thrown away those childish feelings of kindness. I've always fought with my songs, and I've _won_! I struggled so hard, it was light blood would pool in the shadow of the spotlights. There's no way I would consider losing to someone who uses kindness to excuse their weakness, like you!"

"Dia?" gasped Amu as her gold Chara apparently had another mental conversation with her.

"There's no way you can," Utau responded, having heard Dia. "That's your answer, Amu," she hissed. Amu looked down, apparently defeated, but then she spoke.

"It's frustrating," she said. "Anyone would be frustrated after losing," she continued, standing. "It's frustrating because you've lost. But I don't think losing means you get hurt and then it's all over. If you decide not to lose the next time, and give it your all, those wounds will make you stronger! Those people who lose many times should be able to sparkle brightest! Maybe I always do hesitate and waver – maybe I don't really know my true self. I might just be a worthless kid who never follows through with anything. But I still believe. I believe in the radiance inside me!"

Stunned by those words, no one was able to move or speak. Dia ended her transformation with Utau, a glow sparkling around her as she floated to Amu, stopping in front of her pink-haired owner. The Humpty Lock began to glow, forming an orb of light around Amu and Dia that lifted them into the air and forced everyone on the ground to shield their eyes. The orb blasted into a bigger light, appearing to them like the sun.

"Could it be," gasped Ran. "Could Amu be transforming with Dia?"

"It's so dazzling," said Utau in awe, her eyes wide. Everyone looked up at the orb as Amu and Dia transformed. Sakura felt her heart lighten as she looked up at the orb, her transformation with X-Katsumi ending.

As the orb around Dia and Amu exploded into a gold sea of sparkles, Sakura watched her Chara, Katsumi and Setsuko, with a smile. The Xs on their heads began to flicker in and out of existence as the ring on her hands grew colder and colder against her skin. Mari and Mitsu's Eggs appeared, the Xs on them fading as well as they began to crack, signalling that they were hatching again.

"Chara Nari: Amulet Diamond!" Amu and Dia called. She remained in the sky, sparkles floating from her chest as she glowed with a bright radiance that no one could deny. As the newly transformed girl landed, the Guardians and Amu's other Charas surrounded her, calling her praises.

Utau was on the ground, weeping over her victory with her Charas by her side, trying to comfort her. Yukari was half in the helicopter, trying to hurry the singer along, but Utau wouldn't move. After a moment, Amu stepped forwards to soothe the blonde, a smile brightening her face as she spoke. As she continued to speak comforting words, she crouched down in front of Utau.

Then it happened.

"Haa!" a young voice cried out, seemingly from nowhere, until everyone turned to see Amu baby sister, Ami. She was dressed in her uniform for play school, her yellow back over her shoulder, and she giggled happily as she ran past the Guardians, a stoic – yet slightly confused – Ikuto, a surprised Sakura and then her slightly embarrassed and worried sister, finally making her way to her idol.

"Did you follow me here?" asked Amu as she ran past, crying 'yay' over and over again.

"Wowy!" she gasped when Utau looked up at the little girl, "It's the weal Utau-chan!" Utau was shocked by the joy in the child's voice as Amu made her way over, placing her hands on Ami's shoulders.

"Uh, sorry about this," she apologised, "I know it's not a good time."

"Oh, Onee-chan!" recognised Ami with a smile.

"Umm, this is my little sister," she explained. "She's a big fan of yours. She's always mimicking you in front of the TV."

"Ta-da!" announced Ami, suddenly pulling out her toy microphone, holding it to her mouth. "I will now perform Hoshina Utau's _Meikyuu Butterfly_!" she managed to say, struggling a little with the name, before she began singing Utau's debut song.

"The atmosphere has changed suddenly," commented Kairi.

"Definitely," agreed Tadase.

"She's slightly off-key," said Yaya.

"Hey, Utau-chan, sing!" smiled Ami when she realised that the blonde was not joining in. "Sing us a song!" she requested, but Utau merely looked down sadly.

"Whenever you came on, Ami would be glued to the TV, Utau," Amu explained, hoping to cheer up the singer. "She always enjoys your songs."

"I used to be just like that," confessed Utau, getting lost in her memories for a moment. After more comforting words from Il, El, Amu and – surprisingly – Ami, Utau stood up, her head still lowered, showing her hesitance.

"Sing, just like you used to," encouraged Tadase. Shocked by his support, Utau looked over at her older brother, who was still stood with Sakura. He nodded, a small smile on his face, and Utau smiled back. She closed her eyes, placing a hand over her heart, and began to sing a soft, gentle song. Sakura heart was warmed by the beautiful song and the Xs on the Eggs and her Charas shattered, allowing Mari and Mitsu to hatch and Setsuko and Katsumi to return to normal.

"You're back!" gasped Sakura in happiness, hugging her Charas closely as they all smiled; Utau's song drawing to a close. Before she could attempt to take of the ring, however, Yukari poked her head out of the helicopter door, the whistle in her hand being raised to her lips.

"Sakura!" cried Ikuto, knowing what would happen.

"We don't need you, Utau!" called Yukari, "Puppet; attack!" she ordered, blowing the whistle longer and harder than ever before.

"Ahh!" screamed Sakura, covering her ears and falling to the ground in pain, tears gathering in her eyes. Dark energy exploded from her heart, forcing the Guardians, Ikuto and Amu's Character Transformation to end painfully. They were all pushed back by the power of the dark energy, Ikuto the only one remaining on his feet as he fought his way towards the small pinkette.

All four of her Charas became X-Charas again, all remaining out of their Eggs this time, including Mari and Mitsu. Mari's hair was pulled into two surprisingly neat buns on either side of her head, some of her hair falling from them in pigtails, as a green band – identical to the ones on Katsumi and Setsuko – encircled her head. She wore a black dress with a light grey collar and zipper, which was left undone from her waist down. Around her waist was a light green sash, lined with the same light grey as her dress, the green matching the long under-shirt she wore, which peeked out of the sleeveless black dress at the shoulders and fell a few inches lower than her waist. Covering her legs was a pair of light grey, skin-tight leggings and around her ankles were silver bangles, but no shoes. On her headband was her usual green swirl, a stark white 'X' covering the swirl.

Mitsu's hair fell in slightly curled spikes to her hips; her fringe swept across her forehead to the left and, like her sisters, a band circled her head, in a gold colour. Over this band fell a single braid; it framed her face on her left, falling to her chin. She too wore a black, sleeveless dress with a thick gold lining around the V-shaped collar, which dipped low enough to show her light grey sleeveless dress. Around her waist, higher than her sisters, was a thin gold sash, her black dress slit up each side to reach it; it showed the skirt of her thigh-length light grey dress under it. The gold collar of her dress became a cape at the back, fluttering to her ankles, and on her feet was a pair of gold ballet flats, tied with ribbons to her calves. Attached to the headband was her golden sun symbol, crossed with a white 'X'.

The dark energy continued to pulse outwards from the girl, even as the helicopter took off. The sound of the whistle was still resonating in her ears as she stood, her face eerily blank, and her Charas floated towards her. All four returned to their Eggs and sunk into Sakura's darkened heart at once, beginning a Character Transformation. Everyone watch in awe and Sakura was surrounded by pure darkness, shadows covering her form and slowly peeling away to reveal her transformation.

The darkness came off like a cocoon, starting at her head and working its way down her body, revealing a mesh-shirt with short sleeves that covered her shoulders, a red leather 'X' on her chest which held two sheathed katana on her back. A black skirt fell from her waist to her knees, bellowing around her in unseen winds, and her feet were bare. Her hair was swept up by the dark energy, pulling itself back severely into a tight braid, held at her head and at the end with thick red ribbon. A black back formed around her forehead, a large white 'X' appearing in the middle.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Soul," she and her Charas echoed together. Sakura unsheathed her blades, swinging them around her and shooting slashes of dark energy at everyone simultaneously. Her eyes shot upwards towards the helicopter and she held her sword up, pointing it at the flying transportation.

"Come to me!" she cried loudly. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was happening, but them the helicopter began to jerk around in the sky. The windows all shattered and they heard Yukari scream in fear. The Charas all shivered as they felt even more dark energy and X-Charas began to fly out of the helicopter, swarming around Sakura.

"Oh no," whispered Amu, watching the dead-look in Sakura's eye focus in on her. She had a reason to fear – every time Sakura transformed, she seemed to attack Amu more than anyone else.

Ami clung to her older sister in fear as a group of about fifty X-Charas lifted Sakura from the ground, forming around her and holding her in the sky, the dark energy still pulsing out of her. Hundreds more X-Charas were floating in the sky, surrounding the Guardians, Ami and Utau, chanting 'Muri' with deceptive grins on their faces. Ikuto had moved away from them, standing out of view, his eyes stuck to Sakura.

"Go," Sakura breathed, sending the Charas that weren't keeping her up towards the people on the ground. They all Character Transformed quickly, with the exception of Utau and Ami, and Tadase held his sceptre up.

"Everyone; engage," said Tadase, acting like a true leader.

"Understood," replied Rima, getting ready.

"Roger!" Yaya said happily, also preparing to fight.

"You can count on me," assured Kairi, his grip tightening on his katana.

"Holy Crown Special!" Tadase cried loudly, tapping the end of his sceptre to the ground and sending out a protective shield that covered them all, trapping some of the X-Charas inside.

"Juggling Party!" called Rima, separating a smaller ground of them and herding them with the pins. The X-Charas outside were slamming into the barrier, trying to get in. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she slashed at the barrier, creating a small slice in it that a few of the X-Charas began to pry open.

Tadase noticed this and was about to fix the slash, but more X-Charas appeared behind him, ready to attack. Before they were able to, however, they were captured with Rima's 'Tightrope Dancer' and thrown away from the King's Chair with ease. Rima landed behind Tadase as the X-Charas hit the barrier, the impact dazing them.

"Tightrope Dancer," she announced.

"Thank you, Mashiro-san," Tadase said gratefully; he was still trying to keep the barrier up around them.

"Don't mention it," she waved off. Sakura watched all this from outside the barrier, now settling on lounging in the air and looking down with what could be described as boredom in her gaze.

Kairi stood in the centre of a large group of X-Charas, focusing and tightening his grip on his twin katana – almost identical to the ones now sheathed on Sakura's back. When the X-Charas attacked, his eyes opened and he gracefully and quickly began slashing around, successfully knocking out the X-Charas with the blunt side of his katana.

"I used the back of my swords," he commented, "don't worry." This information, however, did not help the wounded X-Charas as they struggled to stand.

"Go, Chairman!" cheered Yaya, who was then also surrounded by a group of X-Charas, this group significantly smaller than the one that attacked Kairi. She noticed them quickly and smirked. "Okay, I'm gonna do it, too!" she declared, pointing at the X-Charas. "Time for – Go, Go, Little Duckies!" she yelled, her yellow ducks coming out to attack the X-Charas.

It turned into a mini-brawl, X-Charas versus Ducks, as Yaya stood at the side, battling the air. Sakura watched the fight with a yawn, lazily stretching her arms above her head. When the fight was over, both the X-Charas and the ducks were unconscious, and Yaya looked at them curiously. She then stood proudly, for even though her ducks were down, she wasn't, and that meant she had won the fight. The remaining X-Charas looked outraged at her smug look.

"Form as one," Sakura said, her eyebrows pulling together as the X-Charas all floated towards her, merging around her into one giant X-Chara outside the barrier.

"What?" gasped Amu when she looked at the giant enemy, Sakura clearly seen standing atop its head; her blank expression was still in place as the X-Chara below her grinned widely.

"That's not playing fair!" whined Yaya childishly.

"Onee-chwan!" cried Ami, tears in her eyes as she clung tighter to Amu. Ikuto gasped as the X-Chara took a deep breath, blowing out dark energy towards Tadase's Holy Crown. It was blown away easily, but Tadase moved quickly and cast another one, smaller, to protect Amu, Ami and Utau. He was backed up by Kairi, both of whom were using all their strength to keep the shield up. They were able to hit the X-Chara with the shield, causing it to stumble back, and Kairi leapt up.

"Thunder Blade!" he cried, aiming at the X-Chara. Rather than getting his intended target, however, his blades were blocked by Sakura's own and he met her vacant eyes. "Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked her as he jumped back, but she didn't respond.

"Kairi!" called Amu, worried. Sakura and Kairi stood, facing off, each holding their two katana. Kicking off, they attacked, their weapons chiming as they parried again and again.

"Careful, Chairman!" warned Yaya, tears in her eyes. "Don't hurt Saku-chi!"

"If you take her down, the X-Charas will be easier to deal with," realised Tadase suddenly. Everyone seemed shocked by this revelation, but no one could argue his point – Sakura was controlling them, making them stronger with the dark energy she exuded. If they could get her out of the way, the X-Charas would be no stronger than usual.

"Allow me," said Ikuto softly as he leapt down, Sakura's blades meeting his claws with sparks of energy. His eyes narrowed at the nothingness he saw in her gaze, but he gritted his teeth. He needed to stop her to help her, and then he would pull her away from Easter kicking and screaming if he needed.

"Step aside," ordered Sakura, her voice hollow. Everyone shivered slightly at the cutting coldness in her tone.

"You'll have to go through me," Ikuto told her, challenging her to hurt him. If she could, then there may be no hope for her. Rather than run him through, however, Sakura's grip weakened on her blades and she stepped back.

"Help me," she whimpered, a flash of emotion crossing her eyes as she released her katana, allowing them to clatter uselessly to the ground. "It hurts," she continued, stumbling forwards into Ikuto's arms.

"Fight it," he encouraged, holding her close to him.

"I can't," she argued, her voice strained. Suddenly, she shoved Ikuto away, stooping to collect her weapons, and looked at him with that same dead look in her eyes. The darkness had taken her over once more.

"Sakura!" cried Ikuto, but she ignored him. Snarling, Sakura kicked him squarely in the chest, pushing him off the giant X-Chara. Ikuto twisted himself around, landing in a crouch on the ground, his eyes glued to Sakura's empty form as she lifted her arm.

"X-Storm!" she called, dark clouds swirling around her hands as she twisted her wrists, controlling them.

"This isn't going to end well," Rima said redundantly and they all leapt out of the way when a streak of black lightening hit the ground before them.

"Sakura, stop!" yelled Amu, hoping to get through to her. Darkness filled her eyes, the greens and whites disappearing behind a layer of glowing black, and she sent another bolt of lightning towards them. This was followed by three more, and the small girl wasn't stopping any time soon. After seven more bolts, one hit a target.

"Argh!" cried Ikuto, clutching his arm as he fell to the ground in pain.

"Ikuto!" called Utau, worried. Sakura's head snapped towards him, her arm still poised to release another bolt of lightning, but the storm faded, the clouds dissipating from around her hand. Her eyes widened; the black layer subsiding to reveal the wide, searching emeralds beneath.

"Ikuto," she muttered, her arms falling to her sides. There was a beat, and then everything seemed to happen at once.

Sakura screamed in agony, clutching her head, as the dark energy pulsing out of her wavered. The giant X-Chara bubbled as the smaller X-Charas began re-forming, floating away from the mass. The pinkette's transformation slowly faded out of existence as tears gathered in her eyes, streaming down her face due to the pain. A bright light gathered around her, shining too brightly for anyone to ignore, and it burst, revealing the unconscious form of the Sakura they all knew.

She fell, the giant X-Chara crumbling away in the smaller Charas with her decent, the dark energy she exuded no longer holding them together. Ikuto, recovered from the wound when the dark energy burning it dissipated, leapt up, catching her gently in his arms before he landed in a crouch, gathering her close to him. He watched her take easy breaths, her face calm, and he almost relaxed, were it not for the sounds of the chaos going on behind him.

"Sister!" cried Kairi, noticing the helicopter was still malfunctioning – due to the X-Charas that were still wreaking havoc on board.

"Sanjo-san!" yelled Utau, also worried for her manager. "El," she said, gaining her dozy Chara's attention, "Lend me your power."

"Of course!" she agreed joyfully.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" called Utau, transforming with El. When the white light around her from her transformation faded, she looked like a beautiful angel. Everyone gasped in awe at Utau, who was smiling softly.

"Chara Nari: Seraphic Charm," she and El said.

"There's no time," said Utau, landing beside Amu. "Let's work together," she offered.

"Okay," Amu nodded. Both girls kicked off the ground, flying into the air and darting towards the helicopter. They glowed brightly as their radiance shone.

"El," called Utau.

"Yes!" replied El, releasing more of her power to allow Utau to use her special move.

"Angel's Cradle!" announced Utau, a shower of feathers covering the area as her soft singing soothed the X-Charas, returning them to their Eggs and purifying them.

"Sakura's Eggs," gasped Ikuto when he realised that Utau's song was healing them as well. All four returned to normal, the Xs disappearing, but they didn't hatch just yet. Utau dove to rescue the falling Yukari while Amu summoned Amulet Diamond's special weapon.

"Starlight Navigation!" called Amu, releasing waves of golden stars, catching the helicopter before it could hit the ground.

The stars fell all around them as Ikuto looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. She stirred gently, shifting in his hold, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing the bright, vibrate green that Ikuto had been searching for when she was under the control of the dark energy. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, holding her to him as tightly as he dared.

"I'm glad you're back," he murmured into her hair. Sakura wriggled and he set her down, watching as she ripped the ring off her finger and threw it as far as she could. She didn't care where it landed, so long as it was far away from her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, tears falling down her face and she leapt into Ikuto's arms again, crying into his chest. He stroked her hair comfortingly, promising to stop anything from hurting her like that again.

As everyone left the scene of the battle, one man in a suit stooped down and gathered the still-useable ring in a velvet case.

"This could be useful, still."

_END_

**A/N: This is the END of Lonely Shugo! There will be a sequel, entitled 'Lonely Shugo II' (nice and simple) up soon, but I decided to end this here so that the amount of chapters wouldn't be intimidation for potential new readers. I'll post an update here to notify you all of when the sequel is posted – it shouldn't take too long!**

**Now, however, I would like to take a moment to thank all of my lovely readers and reviewers (since I can only name you if you review!)**

**Mizz Hime-Sama (my first reviewer!)**

**Sakura4eva**

**Fan of Fanfics21**

**-chan123**

**Deep-Sadness**

**yuchi1994**

**TeenageCrisis**

**Black-Alice-Stars**

**sasusakunatclairegal**

**CherryBlossomNinja64**

**Silent Affair**

**sadistyou know you love me**

**dkfbncnn bgcvfsbxg**

**Ruvina no Ookami Hime**

**Wolfs-howlofdeath**

**kodocha101**

**Sakura-Hime Uchiha**

**InfiniteWhiplash**

**1L.B.1**

**Sacchiance**

**tori**

**Hope n' Faith**

**Nikooru-sama**

**Ketsueki no Kuki**

**Rayaisaninjaa**

**musicmiss18**

**AnimaniacXOX**

**Miss Chocolat**

**Akatsukifan1**

**Kenzie-Onee-Chan**

**Unknown**

**Shadow**

**Wicken25**

**Sasuke and sakura fan**

**Linda Chicana**

**dinosaurs wear sunglasses**

**Sesshomaru'shootingstar**

**XxscarheartxXxmargueritexXx**

**Geniusly-Curious**

**CrystalHeart27**

**fireangel**

**Ikilledsomeoneandilikedit**

**Viven**

**ChibiChocoholic23**

**Beware The Insane**

**FoolishLittleBrother**

**dab-of-paint**

**kaminariyoru**

**FluffyCreamDessert**

**Fallen-Phoenix-Feather**

**Black Fire Blossom**

**Tsuki-Nana**

**Pandora 'N Jinx**

**Baka-no-desu-21**

**Anne Whitehead**

**emeraldmoon14**

**smileyz**

**IKillatFirstSight**

**iloveSKITTLES**

**Michiru-pyon**

**Taraha222**

**CoveredInHisBlood**

**asdf**

**xSNekoChan**

**TsukiyomiPrincess**

**annabelle**

**Shadow's Ruby**

**L.M.D.A.A**

**Lovely-Ice**

**Angel Of Darkness808**

**Haru Shikamotoroshi**

**Aoi Hitsugaya**

**dopplerdee**

**Chibi-Chic**

**tvizz**

**FullMo0n**

**Weasel-Scarecrow luvrs**

**Dark Void Princess 21**

**cookiemonster98**

**BB'S-SHINIGAMI-KURA-HARUNO**

**Angelic Sakura Blossom**

**blue polkadot**

**SB01**

**sweetcherry99**

**little firework**

**sakuraharunoluver7**

**Dawn296**

**gNat2**

**ReaderWorm101**

**Yuuki-Hime 2097**

**Smexy Itachi-san**

**crazycherry459**

**Ki Bun**

**Chibi Emi-chan**

**loneworlfgirl-sademo588**

**gender-bender-lover-101**

**Chibified-chan**

**annarolls**

**CrazySakuraHarunoXD**

**EmoSakura95**

**Nox Maltid**

**animefan831**

**Black snake eyes**

**Animefan-inblack17**

**Hyperwolfpup**

**cherriberri 1998**

**Oblivious Procrastinator**

**I think that's everyone, but if I've missed you or misspelt your name, forgive me and know that the thanks was for you too!**


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